Gravitational waves
Gravitational waves are waves in the curvature of space-time believed to be emanating from gravity wells. While they have not been directly observed, they can be indirectly observed as the loss in energy of binary system, such as a star orbiting a planet or another star. The gradual decay in angular momentum over the course of time in a orbital system can be attributed to the emission of gravitational waves.
Overview
Albert Einstein explained gravity in his theory of general relativity as a phenomenon resulting from the curvature of space-time. This curvature is caused by a mass distorting and bending the space-time around its sphere of influence. The gravitational waves radiate outward from a mass that is in motion, and travel at the speed of light. These waves occur through the fabric of space-time much like mechanical waves travel through a fluid. As a graviational wave passes an observer, it slightly alters the distance between the observer and the mass of origin.
Radiated Power
The loss in energy from a system due to the radiation of gravitational waves can be predicted by using the following equation:
- [math]\displaystyle{ P = \frac{\mathrm{d}E}{\mathrm{d}t} = - \frac{32}{5}\, \frac{G^4}{c^5}\, \frac{(m_1m_2)^2 (m_1+m_2)}{r^5} }[/math]
This radiated energy helps explain orbital decay, which is when two the orbit of one mass around another circularizes and the distance between them slowly begins to decrease. Earth is currently undergoing this phenomenon with the Sun, as it looses about 200 joules of total energy in its orbit every second. However, that only causes a decay of the orbit of only about 1E-15 meters per day. At that rate, it would take about 1E10 times the current age of the universe to fall into the Sun.
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Connectedness
How objects move through space has always fascinated me, especially due to the scale and the speed of celestial objects. As an Aerospace Engineering Major, I am much more interested in how we can learn about propulsion and energy just by observing the interactions of objects in the cosmos. By learning more about space-time, we could potentially develop methods of propelling our machines deeper into space than we previously thought possible. NASA and the ESA have already put extensive resources into studying gravitational waves in hopes that by unlocking their secrets, we could learn how to harness their power into future engineering projects.
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