Just wanted to share this article from Physicsweb...

 

http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/20/6/4/1

 

Although the main focus is on the detection of gravitational waves, it also serves as a concise summary of some of the key successes in the field of physics, and future areas of research.

you don't by any chance receive, astronomy and geophysics??? they had a sterling article regarding the recent advances of gravitational astrophysics, but I can't find my issue (April (I think) 2007, Vol-48, Issue-2)I referenced it one before...thus I know the issue No e.t.c.

 

But I will post some more tomorrow (when I have finished my final two physics exams)....finally

I'll look forward to it...and good luck !

 

Oh, and no, I don't receive astronomy and geophysics.

right well, the exams are out of the way (finally)

 

Gravitational waves:

 

there is a neat equation that calculates power flux where:

the gravitational wave has a strain [math]h[/math]

and frequency [math]f[/math]

 

[math]F= \frac{c^3 \pi f^2 h^2}{G}\,\,\,\,\,\,\, Wm^{-2}[/math]

 

sticking some values in to this

[math]h = 10^{-22}[/math]

[math]f = 280 \,\,\, (Hz)[/math]

 

to put this in to perspective: F is equivalent to the signal from a mobile phone at a distance of 15m or a mg -11 star (moon is ~12.7)

this may make you wonder why we don't hear more about gravitational waves, there is a simple reason for this:

 

Spacetime itself is very "stiff" a signal that carries a large power @ the above frequencies generates only a small strain this would be no problem if we had detectors that had a similar stiffness, we could, therefore measure the large induced stress, but currently our detectors are strain-based so need to work very hard, but a new generation of detectors are being built (discussed in the article) this is a pioneering area of physics, and I'm watching it with GREAT interest. great things are going to happen, mark my words !