Merging of a neutron star and a black hole. Scientists have caught the waves from the merger of neutron stars for the first time. What is the significance of this discovery
ESO / L. Calçada / M. Kornmesser
Scientists for the first time in history have recorded gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars - superdense objects with a mass of our Sun and the size of Moscow. The resulting gamma-ray burst and the kilonova burst were observed by about 70 ground-based and space observatories - they were able to see the process of synthesis of heavy elements, including gold and platinum, predicted by theorists, and to confirm the correctness of hypotheses about the nature of mysterious short gamma-ray bursts, the press service of the collaboration reported. LIGO / Virgo, European Southern Observatory and Los Cumbres Observatory. Observational results can shed light on and in the universe.
On the morning of August 17, 2017 (at 8:41 am US East Coast time, when it was 3:41 pm in Moscow), automatic systems on one of the two detectors of the LIGO gravitational wave observatory registered the arrival of a gravitational wave from space. The signal received the designation GW170817, this was the fifth case of latching gravitational waves since 2015, since they were first registered. Just three days before, the LIGO observatory for the first time "" a gravitational wave together with European project Virgo.
However, this time, just two seconds after the gravitational event, the Fermi space telescope detected a gamma-ray burst in the southern sky. Almost at the same moment, the European-Russian space observatory INTEGRAL saw the outbreak.
The automatic data analysis systems of the LIGO observatory concluded that the coincidence of these two events is extremely unlikely. During the search for additional information, it was found that the gravitational wave was also seen by the second LIGO detector, but not recorded by the European gravitational observatory Virgo. Astronomers all over the world were "on alert" - the hunt for the source of gravitational waves and gamma-ray bursts began many observatories, including the European Southern Observatory and the Hubble space telescope.
Changing the brightness and color of the kilonova after the explosion
The task was not easy - the combined data of LIGO / Virgo, Fermi and INTEGRAL allowed to outline an area of 35 square degrees - this is an approximate area of several hundred lunar disks. Only 11 hours later, the small Swope telescope with a meter mirror located in Chile took the first picture of the alleged source - it looked like a very bright star next to the elliptical galaxy NGC 4993 in the constellation Hydra. Over the next five days, the brightness of the source dropped 20 times, and the color gradually shifted from blue to red. All this time, the object was observed by many telescopes in the ranges from X-ray to infrared, until in September the galaxy was too close to the Sun, and became inaccessible for observation.
Scientists concluded that the source of the outbreak was located in the galaxy NGC 4993 at a distance of about 130 million light-years from Earth. It's incredibly close, until now, gravitational waves have come to us from distances of billions of light years. Thanks to this closeness, we were able to hear them. The source of the wave was the merger of two objects with masses in the range from 1.1 to 1.6 solar masses - these could only be neutron stars.
Photo of the source of gravitational waves - NGC 4993, in the center there is a flare
VLT / VIMOS. VLT / MUSE, MPG / ESO
The burst itself "sounded" for a very long time - about 100 seconds, merging of black holes gave bursts lasting a fraction of a second. A pair of neutron stars revolved around a common center of mass, gradually losing energy in the form of gravitational waves and converging. When the distance between them was reduced to 300 kilometers, the gravitational waves became powerful enough to hit the zone of sensitivity of the LIGO / Virgo gravitational detectors. When two neutron stars merge into one compact object (neutron star or black hole), a powerful burst of gamma radiation occurs.
Astronomers call such gamma-ray bursts short gamma-ray bursts; gamma-ray telescopes record them about once a week. If the nature of long GRBs is more understandable (their sources are supernova explosions), there was no consensus about the sources of short bursts. There was a hypothesis that they are generated by mergers of neutron stars.
Now scientists were able to confirm this hypothesis for the first time, because thanks to gravitational waves, we know the mass of the merged components, which proves that these are precisely neutron stars.
“For decades, we have suspected that short gamma-ray bursts are generating mergers of neutron stars. Now, thanks to data from LIGO and Virgo about this event, we have an answer. Gravitational waves tell us that the merged objects had masses corresponding to neutron stars, and the gamma-ray burst tells us that these objects could hardly be black holes, since the collision of black holes should not generate radiation, ”says Julie McEnery, project scientist at the Fermi Center. space flights NASA named after Goddard.
In addition, astronomers for the first time have received unambiguous confirmation of the existence of kilon (or "macron") flares, which are about 1000 times more powerful than conventional nova flares. Theorists predicted that kilonovs could arise from the merger of neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole.
This triggers the synthesis of heavy elements based on the capture of neutrons by nuclei (r-process), as a result of which many of the heavy elements, such as gold, platinum or uranium, appeared in the Universe.
According to scientists, with one explosion of a kilonova, a huge amount of gold can arise - up to ten times the mass of the moon. Until now, only one event has been observed that.
Now astronomers were able to observe for the first time not only the birth of the kilonova, but also the products of its "work". Spectra obtained with the Hubble and VLT (Very Large Telescope) telescopes showed the presence of cesium, tellurium, gold, platinum and other heavy elements formed by merging neutron stars.
“So far, the data we have received is in excellent agreement with theory. This is a triumph for theorists, confirmation of the absolute reality of events recorded by the LIGO and Virgo observatories, and a remarkable achievement by ESO, which managed to obtain such observations of the kilonova, ”says Stefano Covino, the first author of one of the articles in Nature astronomy.
Scientists do not yet have an answer to the question of what is left after the merger of neutron stars - it can be either a black hole or a new neutron star, moreover, it is not entirely clear why the gamma-ray burst was relatively weak.
Gravitational waves are waves of oscillation of the geometry of space-time, the existence of which was predicted by the general theory of relativity. For the first time about their reliable detection, the LIGO collaboration was in February 2016 - 100 years after Einstein's predictions. You can read more about what gravitational waves are and how they can help explore the Universe in our special materials - "" and ".
Alexander Voytyuk
MOSCOW, October 16. / TASS /. The detectors LIGO (Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Observatory, USA) and Virgo (a similar observatory in Italy) have registered for the first time gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars. The opening was announced on Monday during an international press conference held simultaneously in Moscow, Washington and several cities in other countries.
"Scientists have recorded for the first time gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars, and this phenomenon was observed not only on laser interferometers that register gravitational waves, but also using space observatories (INTEGRAL, Fermi) and ground-based telescopes that register electromagnetic radiation. In total, this phenomenon was observed about 70 ground-based and space observatories around the world, including the network of robotic telescopes MASTER (Lomonosov Moscow State University), "the press service of the Moscow State University said.
When and how was registered
The discovery, which scientists reported on Monday, was made on August 17. Then both LIGO detectors recorded a gravitational signal, dubbed GW170817. The information provided by the third Virgo detector has significantly improved the localization of the space event.
At almost the same time, about two seconds after the gravitational waves, NASA's Fermi Space Telescope and the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory / INTEGRAL detected gamma ray bursts. In the days that followed, scientists recorded electromagnetic radiation in other ranges, including X-rays, ultraviolet, optical, infrared and radio waves.
The signals from the LIGO detectors showed that the recorded gravitational waves were emitted by two astrophysical objects orbiting relative to each other and located at a relatively close distance - about 130 million light years - from the Earth. It turned out that the objects were less massive than the previously discovered binary black holes LIGO and Virgo. According to calculations, their masses ranged from 1.1 to 1.6 solar masses, which falls in the region of masses of neutron stars, the smallest and densest among the stars. Their typical radius is only 10-20 km.
While the signal from merging binary black holes was usually within the sensitivity range of the LIGO detectors for a fraction of a second, the signal recorded on August 17 lasted for about 100 seconds. About two seconds after the merger of the stars, there was a burst of gamma radiation, which was recorded by space gamma telescopes.
The rapid detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO-Virgo team, combined with the detection of gamma rays, has allowed optical and radio telescopes to be observed around the world.
Having received the coordinates, several observatories were able to start searching in the region of the sky where the event supposedly occurred within a few hours. A new light point reminiscent of new star, was discovered by optical telescopes, and as a result, about 70 observatories on earth and in space observed this event in various wavelength ranges.
In the days following the collision, electromagnetic radiation was recorded in the X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared and radio wave ranges.
"For the first time, in contrast to the" lonely "mergers of black holes, a" companionable "event was registered not only by gravitational detectors, but also by optical and neutrino telescopes. which is part of the group of Russian scientists who participated in the observation of the phenomenon, under the leadership of Professor of the Physics Department of Moscow State University Valery Mitrofanov.
Theorists predict that when neutron stars collide, gravitational waves and gamma rays should be emitted, as well as powerful jets of matter, accompanied by radiation electromagnetic waves in a wide frequency range.
The detected GRB is the so-called short GRB. Previously, scientists only predicted that short gamma-ray bursts are generated when neutron stars merge, and now this is confirmed by observations. But despite the fact that the source of the detected short GRB was one of the closest to Earth still visible, the burst itself was surprisingly weak for that distance. Now scientists have to find an explanation for this fact.
At the speed of light
At the time of the collision, the bulk of the two neutron stars merged into one ultra-dense object emitting gamma rays. The first measurements of gamma radiation, combined with the detection of gravitational waves, support the prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity, namely, that gravitational waves travel at the speed of light.
"YouTube / Georgia Tech"
"In all previous cases, merging black holes were the source of gravitational waves. Paradoxically, black holes are very simple objects consisting exclusively of curved space and therefore fully described by the well-known laws of general relativity. At the same time, the structure of neutron stars and, in particular, the equation of state of neutron matter is still not known exactly. Therefore, the study of signals from merging neutron stars will allow us to obtain a huge amount of new information about the properties of superdense matter in extreme conditions, "said Professor of the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University Farit Khalili, who also included in the Mitrofanov group.
Heavy element factory
Theorists predicted that a "kilonova" would be formed as a result of the merger. This is a phenomenon in which the material remaining from the collision of neutron stars glows brightly and is ejected from the collision area far into space. This creates processes that create heavy elements such as lead and gold. Observation after the glow of a merger of neutron stars makes it possible to obtain additional information on the various stages of this merger, on the interaction of the formed object with environment and the processes that produce the heaviest elements in the universe.
"In the process of fusion, the formation of heavy elements was recorded. Therefore, we can even talk about a galactic factory for the production of heavy elements, including gold - after all, it is this metal that earthlings are most interested in. Scientists are beginning to offer models that would explain the observed parameters of this fusion," noted Vyatchanin.
About the LIGO-LSC collaboration
Scientific collaboration LIGO-LSC (LIGO Scientific Collaboration) brings together more than 1200 scientists from 100 institutes different countries... The LIGO Observatory is built and operated by the California and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. LIGO's partner is the Virgo collaboration, which employs 280 European scientists and engineers from 20 research groups. The Virgo detector is located near Pisa (Italy).
Two scientific teams from Russia take part in the research of LIGO Scientific Collaboration: a group of the Physics Faculty of the Moscow state university named after M.V. Lomonosov and the group of the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Nizhny Novgorod). The research is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Russian Science Foundation.
LIGO detectors in 2015 recorded gravitational waves from colliding black holes for the first time, and in February 2016 the discovery was announced at a press conference. In 2017, American physicists Rainer Weiss, Kip Thorne and Berry Barish were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their decisive contributions to the LIGO project, as well as for "observing gravitational waves."
Gravitational waves generated during the merger of two neutron stars. The event was designated GW170817. The gamma-ray burst and kilonova flare that followed the merger was observed by about 70 ground-based and space observatories, ranging from ESO to Hubble. In real time, astronomers saw the process of synthesis of heavy elements, including gold and platinum, predicted by theorists, and confirm the correctness of hypotheses about the nature of mysterious short gamma-ray bursts. The location of the merger of neutron stars was also identified. It's in the galaxy NGC 4993, 130 million sv. l.
While most scientists focused their further efforts on studying the immediate products of the fusion, a group of American astrophysicists tried to answer the question of which object was formed as a result of a cosmic accident. To do this, they used the Chandra telescope. By analyzing the X-ray data GW170817, the researchers concluded that they correspond to a stellar mass black hole.
Also recently in the journal Nature were published the results of another study on GW170817. Scientists have tried to find an answer to the question of what caused some of the outbreak's oddities. For example, most of the researchers assumed that the merger of neutron stars should lead to the formation of miniature gamma-ray bursts - but this was not observed.
Radio telescope data have pointed to the cause of this and other anomalies. The remnant of neutron stars is surrounded by a dense cocoon of incandescent gas, which collided with beams of plasma ejected during the merger of these objects. This collision "stirred up" the gas, accelerated it to about 30-50% of the speed of light, making it glow. The existence of a hot gas cocoon explains well many of the features of the merger. For example, in what sequence will the effects of a flash be observed in different ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as the fact that this object will become more and more bright in radio waves.
On October 16, astronomers reported that on August 17, for the first time in history, they recorded gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars... The observations were carried out by 70 groups of scientists, and one of the articles on this event was co-authored by 4,600 astronomers - more than a third of all astronomers in the world. The site N + 1 in a long article told why this is an important discovery and what questions it will help to answer.
How did it all happen?
On August 17, 2017, at 15:41:04 Moscow time, the detector of the LIGO observatory in Hanford (Washington) heard a record long gravitational wave - the signal lasted for about a hundred seconds. This is very large gap time - for comparison, the previous four fixations of gravitational waves lasted no longer than three seconds. The automatic alert program has triggered. Astronomers checked the data: it turned out that the second LIGO detector (in Louisiana) also recorded a wave, but the automatic trigger did not work due to short-term noise.
1.7 seconds later than the detector in Hanford, regardless of it, triggered automatic system the Fermi and Integral telescopes, gamma-ray observatories in space, observing some of the most energetic events in the Universe. The instruments detected a bright flash and roughly determined its coordinates. Unlike the gravitational signal, the flare lasted only two seconds. Interestingly, the Russian-European "Integral" noticed the gamma-ray burst with "peripheral vision" - the "protective crystals" of the main detector. However, this did not prevent the triangulation of the signal.
About an hour later, LIGO sent out information about the possible coordinates of the source of gravitational waves - it was possible to establish this area due to the fact that the signal was noticed by the Virgo detector. From the delays with which the detectors began to receive the signal, it became clear that, most likely, the source is located in the southern hemisphere: first, the signal reached Virgo and only then, 22 milliseconds later, was recorded by the LIGO observatory. The original recommended search area was 28 square degrees, which is equivalent to hundreds of the areas of the moon.
The next step was to combine the data from gamma and gravitational observatories and search for the exact source of radiation. Since neither gamma-ray telescopes, let alone gravitational ones, made it possible to find the required point with great accuracy, physicists initiated several optical searches at once. One of them - with the help of the robotic system of telescopes "MASTER", developed at the GAISH MSU.
Observing the kilonova of the European Southern ObservatoryEuropean Southern Observatory (ESO)
Among thousands of possible candidates, the Chilean meter Swope telescope managed to detect the desired flash - almost 11 hours after the gravitational waves. Astronomers have recorded a new luminous point in the galaxy NGC 4993 in the constellation Hydra, its brightness did not exceed 17 magnitude. Such an object is quite accessible for observation with semi-professional telescopes.
Within about an hour after that, independently of Swope, four more observatories, including the Argentine telescope of the MASTER network, found the source. After that, a large-scale observation campaign began, which was joined by the telescopes of the South European Observatory, Hubble, Chandra, the VLA radio telescope array and many other instruments - in total, more than 70 groups of scientists observed the development of events. After nine days, astronomers managed to get an image in X-ray range, and after 16 days - in radio frequency. Unfortunately, after a while the Sun approached the galaxy and in September observations became impossible.
What caused the explosion?
Such a characteristic explosion pattern in many electromagnetic ranges has been predicted and described long ago. It corresponds to the collision of two neutron stars - ultra-compact objects consisting of neutron matter.
According to scientists, the mass of neutron stars was 1.1 and 1.6 solar masses (the total mass was relatively accurately determined - about 2.7 solar masses). The first gravitational waves appeared when the distance between objects was 300 kilometers.
A big surprise was the small distance from this system to Earth - about 130 million light years. For comparison, this is only 50 times farther than from Earth to the Andromeda Nebula, and almost an order of magnitude less than the distance from our planet to black holes, the collision of which was recorded earlier by LIGO and Virgo. In addition, the collision was the closest source of a short GRB to Earth.
Binary neutron stars have been known since 1974 - one of these systems was discovered by Nobel laureates Russell Hals and Joseph Taylor. However, until now, all known binary neutron stars have been in our Galaxy, and the stability of their orbits was sufficient so that they would not collide within the next million years. A new pair of stars approached so much that interaction began and the process of transfer of matter began to develop
Collision of two neutron stars. Animation Nasa
The event was named kilonova. Literally, this means that the brightness of the flare was about a thousand times more powerful than the typical flares of new stars - binary systems, in which the compact companion pulls the matter onto itself.
What does all this mean?
The full spectrum of collected data already allows scientists to call the event the cornerstone of future gravitational-wave astronomy. Based on the results of data processing, about 30 articles were written in large journals in two months: seven in each Nature and Science as well as work in Astrophysical Journal Letters and other scientific publications. One of these articles was co-authored by 4,600 astronomers from various collaborations - this is more than a third of all astronomers in the world.
Here are the key questions that scientists have been able to truly come up with for the first time.
What triggers short GRBs?
Gamma-ray bursts are some of the most energetic phenomena in the universe. The power of one such burst is sufficient to eject as much energy into the surrounding space in seconds as the Sun generates in 10 million years. There are short and long GRBs; it is considered that these are phenomena that are different in their mechanism. For example, the collapse of massive stars is believed to be the source of long bursts.
Mergers of neutron stars are believed to be the sources of short GRBs. However, so far there has been no direct confirmation of this. New observations are the strongest evidence to date of the existence of this mechanism.
Where do gold and other heavy elements come from in the Universe?
Nucleosynthesis - the fusion of nuclei in stars - allows you to get a huge range of chemical elements. For light nuclei, fusion reactions proceed with the release of energy and are energetically favorable in general. For elements whose mass is close to that of iron, the energy gain is no longer so great. Because of this, elements heavier than iron are almost not formed in stars - the exception is supernova explosions. But they are completely insufficient to explain the abundance of gold, lanthanides, uranium and other heavy elements in the Universe.
In 1989, physicists suggested that r-nucleosynthesis in mergers of neutron stars could be responsible for this. You can read more about this in the blog of astrophysicist Marat Musin. Until now, this process was known only in theory.
Spectral studies of the new event showed clear traces of the birth of heavy elements. So, thanks to the spectrometers of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Hubble, astronomers have discovered the presence of cesium, tellurium, gold and platinum. There is also evidence of the formation of xenon, iodine and antimony. Physicists estimate that the collision ejected a total mass of light and heavy elements equivalent to 40 times the mass of Jupiter. Gold alone, according to theoretical models, is formed about 10 times the mass of the moon.
What is the Hubble constant equal to?
Experimentally, the rate of expansion of the Universe can be estimated using special “standard candles”. These are objects for which the absolute brightness is known, which means that the ratio between the absolute and visible brightness can be used to conclude how far away they are. The expansion rate at a given distance from the observer is determined by the Doppler shift, for example, of hydrogen lines. The role of "standard candles" is played, for example, by type Ia supernovae ("explosions" of white dwarfs) - by the way, it was on their sample that the expansion of the Universe was proved.
Observing the merger of two neutron stars from the telescope at the Paranal Observatory (Chile) European Southern Observatory (ESO)
The Hubble constant defines a linear dependence of the rate of expansion of the Universe at a given distance. Each independent determination of its value allows us to verify the validity of the adopted cosmology.
The sources of gravitational waves are also "standard candles" (or, as they are called in the article, "sirens"). By the nature of the gravitational waves that they create, you can independently determine the distance to them. This is what astronomers took advantage of in one of the new works. The result coincided with other independent measurements - based on the CMB and observation of gravitationally lensed objects. The constant is approximately equal to 62-82 kilometers per second per megaparsec. This means that two galaxies, 3.2 million light years distant, on average, scatter at a speed of 70 kilometers per second. New mergers of neutron stars will help increase the accuracy of this estimate.
How does gravity work?
General relativity, generally accepted today, accurately predicts the behavior of gravitational waves. However, the quantum theory of gravity has not yet been developed. There are several hypotheses about how it can be arranged - these are theoretical constructions with a large number of unknown parameters. Simultaneous observation of electromagnetic radiation and gravitational waves will make it possible to clarify and narrow the boundaries for these parameters, as well as to discard some hypotheses.
For example, the fact that gravitational waves arrived 1.7 seconds before gamma quanta confirms that they really travel at the speed of light. In addition, the very value of the delay can be used to test the principle of equivalence underlying general relativity.
How are neutron stars arranged?
We know the structure of neutron stars only in general terms. They have a crust of heavy elements and a neutron nucleus - but, for example, we still do not know the equation of state of neutron matter in the nucleus. And on this depends, for example, the answer to such a simple question: what exactly was formed in the collision that astronomers observed?
Visualization of gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars
Like white dwarfs, neutron stars have a concept of critical mass, above which collapse can begin. There are several scenarios depending on whether the mass of the new object has exceeded the critical one or not. further development events. If the total mass turns out to be too large, then the object will immediately collapse into a black hole. If the mass is slightly less, then a nonequilibrium, rapidly rotating neutron star may arise, which, however, also collapses over time into a black hole. Alternative option- the formation of a magnetar, a rapidly rotating neutron hole with a huge magnetic field. Apparently, the magnetar was not formed in the collision - the accompanying hard X-ray radiation was not detected.
According to Vladimir Lipunov, head of the MASTER network, the available data are insufficient to find out what exactly was formed as a result of the merger. However, astronomers already have a number of theories that will be published in the coming days. Perhaps, from future mergers of neutron stars, it will be possible to determine the desired critical mass.
Vladimir Korolev, N + 1
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The phenomenon was observed using space observatories and ground-based telescopes
Scientists have been able to register for the first time gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars.
The waves were recorded by LIGO detectors in the United States and the Italian Virgo Observatory.
According to researchers, as a result of such mergers, elements such as platinum and gold appear in the Universe.
The discovery was made on August 17th. Two detectors in the United States recorded the gravitational signal GW170817.
Data from the third detector in Italy made it possible to clarify the location of the space event.
"This is what we've all been waiting for," said LIGO Lab Executive Director David Reitze, commenting on the discovery.
The merger took place in the galaxy NGC4993, which is located about 130 million light years from Earth in the constellation Hydra.
The masses of the stars were in the range from 1.1 to 1.6 solar masses, which falls in the region of the masses of neutron stars. Their radius is 10-20 km.
Stars are called neutron stars because in the process of gravitational contraction, protons and electrons inside the star merge, resulting in an object consisting almost exclusively of neutrons.
Such objects have incredible density - a teaspoon of matter will weigh about a billion tons.
Image copyright NSF / LIGO / SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY Image caption The merger of neutron stars in the minds of scientists looks something like this (in the photo - a computer model)The LIGO laboratory in Livingston, Louisiana is a small building with two interferometer arms extending at right angles. Inside each of them is a laser beam, fixing changes in the length of which gravitational waves can be detected.
The LIGO detector, set in the middle of vast forests, was created in order to detect gravitational waves that generate large-scale cosmic cataclysms such as merging neutron stars.
Four years ago, the detector was upgraded, since then it has detected collisions of black holes four times.
Gravitational waves, which arise as a result of large-scale events in space, lead to the emergence of time-spatial curvatures, somewhat similar to ripples in water.
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Discovery of the Year: What Does a Neutron Star Collision Sound Like?They stretch and squeeze all matter through which they pass, to an almost insignificant extent - less than the width of one atom.
"I am delighted with what we have done. I first started working on gravitational waves in Glasgow while still a student. Many years have passed since then, there have been ups and downs, but now everything has worked out," says LIGO worker, Professor Norn Robertson.
"Over the past few years, we first recorded the merger of 'black holes', and then - neutron stars, in my opinion, we are opening a new field for research," - she adds.
- The existence of gravitational waves was predicted within the framework of Einstein's general theory of relativity
- It took decades to develop the technology that recorded the waves
- Gravitational waves are distortions in time and space that occur as a result of large-scale events in space.
- Rapidly accelerating matter generates gravitational waves that travel at the speed of light
- Among the visible sources of waves are the mergers of neutron stars and "black holes"
- Wave research opens up a fundamentally new field for research
Scientists believed that the release of energy on this scale leads to the creation of rare elements such as gold and platinum.
According to Dr. Keith Maguire of Queen's University Belfast, who analyzed the early merger flares, this theory has now been proven.
“With the world's most powerful telescopes, we discovered that this merger of neutron stars was a high-speed ejection of heavy chemical elements such as gold and platinum into space,” says Maguire.
"These new results have helped make significant headway towards resolving a long-standing debate about where elements heavier than iron came from on the periodic table," she adds.
New frontiers
Observing the collision of neutron stars also confirmed the theory that it is accompanied by short bursts of gamma rays.
By comparing the collected information about the collisional gravitational waves with the data on light radiation collected by telescopes, the scientists used a previously unheard-of way to measure the expansion rate of the universe.
One of the most influential theoretical physicists on the planet, Professor Stephen Hawking, in an interview with the BBC called this "the first rung on the ladder" to a new way of measuring distances in the Universe.
"The new way of observing the universe tends to lead to surprises, many of which are impossible to foresee. We still rub our eyes, or rather, clean our ears, after hearing the sound of gravitational waves for the first time," Hawking said.
Image copyright NSF Image caption LIGO Observatory complex at Livingston. From the building "shoulders" depart - pipes, inside of which laser beams pass in a vacuumNow the equipment of the LIGO complex is being modernized. In a year, it will become twice as sensitive, and will be able to scan a segment of space that is eight times larger than the current one.
Scientists believe that in the future, observing the collision of "black holes" and neutron stars will become commonplace. They also hope to learn how to observe objects that today cannot even be imagined, and start a new era in astronomy.
