WhyCosmo

The Universe operates under four fundamental forces— gravity, strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces . While we have understood the particles governing most of these forces, the mysterious graviton , thought to explain gravity, remains elusive. But that might change soon. It’s thought that gravity consists of minute quantum building blocks called gravitons, but so far they have been too elusive to observe. A new result from Pikovski’s Research Group now shows that next-generation quantum sensors can catch a single one. A team of researchers, led by Professor Igor Pikovski from the Stevens Institute of Technology, is testing a revolutionary method to detect individual gravitons using a quantum sensor combined with an acoustic resonator. Inspired by previous gravitational wave detections from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), this new method aims to identify the building block of gravity. Portrait of Newton in 1702, painted by Godfrey Kneller. Credit: Na...

  Scientists may have found a solution to the " final parsec problem ," which has made it difficult to explain how supermassive black holes (SMBHs) form. This breakthrough points to a mysterious form of dark matter as the key to resolving the issue. An illustration of two supermassive black holes about to collide.   (Image credit: Getty) Supermassive black holes grow through repeated mergers of smaller holes, but their formation has been puzzling due to a persistent problem. When black holes get close, they seem to orbit indefinitely instead of merging. Known as the "final parsec problem," this issue occurs when the black holes reach a separation of about one parsec (3.26 light-years) and become stuck, unable to lose enough energy to collide and merge. A pair of giant black holes about 3,000 light-years apart in the galaxy NGC 6240, 400 million light-years away. The galaxy's butterfly shape was caused by the collision of two smaller galaxies.  (Image credit: ...

A new study has uncovered that the explosive deaths of massive , spinning stars can send gravitational waves rippling across the universe , detectable right here on Earth. These stellar explosions, known as collapsars , occur when stars 15-20 times the mass of the Sun exhaust their nuclear fuel, collapsing inwards and forming black holes . After the death of a massive, spinning star, a disk of material forms around the central black hole. As the material cools and falls into the black hole, new research suggests that detectable gravitational waves are created. Credit: Ore Gottlieb. The intense implosion and subsequent explosion leave behind a swirling disc of matter around the black hole, which distorts space and generates powerful gravitational waves. These waves, traveling across the cosmos, have the potential to be detected by instruments like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) , which first observed such waves in 2015. LIGO Lead researcher Ore Gottlie...

  Astrophysicists have made a groundbreaking discovery by detecting long-period gravitational waves using data from 68 pulsars . This significant finding, reported by NANOGrav , aligns with predictions of general relativity and provides new insights into supermassive black holes and galaxy mergers. Artist’s interpretation of an array of pulsars being affected by gravitational ripples produced by a supermassive black hole binary in a distant galaxy. Credit: Aurore Simonnet for the NANOGrav Collaboration Using large radio telescopes, researchers observed cosmic clocks to find evidence for gravitational waves oscillating over years to decades. This continuous signal followed over 15 years, transforms our sector of the Milky Way into a vast gravitational-wave detector. Pulsars, the ultra-dense remnants of massive stars, serve as precise cosmic timepieces. By monitoring 68 pulsars with facilities like Arecibo Observatory and Green Bank Telescope, NANOGrav has shown the first evidence f...