startswithabang: Ask Ethan: Are Gravitational Waves Themselves Affected By Gravity? “Are gravi
startswithabang: Ask Ethan: Are Gravitational Waves Themselves Affected By Gravity? “Are gravitational waves themselves subject to gravity? That is, if a gravitational wave were to pass by a galaxy cluster, would its form get distorted (even though the wave, itself, is a distortion of space-time)? One side of me says gravitational waves are a form of energy so therefore must be affected by gravity. The other side of me says “Nah - that just doesn’t make sense!“”Think about the fabric of space itself. All the masses and forms of energy in the Universe cause space itself to curve, while the curved space itself alters the path along which any matter or form of energy will travel. Massless particles, like photons, are bent by the fabric of space itself. But what about gravitational waves? Are they also subject to this, or does gravitation lack a self-interaction that it would require for this to be possible?For a very long time, this was a question that was theoretical only. But over the last three years, we’ve observed a slew of gravitational waves, allowing this idea to be tested for the first time.What were the results? Gravitational waves are affected by gravity, in at least three different observable ways. Come find out how today! -- source link
#gravitational waves#gravitons#gravity#general relativity#quantum gravity#space pictures