Discover
/
Article

Gravitational waves—a progress report

MAR 01, 1973
Although many experiments to detect gravity waves are underway, and others are planned, so far none of them has reproduced Joseph Weber’s results, first reported in 1967.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3127984

Jonothan L. Logan

For over ten years Joseph Weber has conducted a search for the gravitational radiation predicted by general relativity. His recent results indicate an apparent powerful source of radiation at the galactic center. More than a dozen groups have now joined the effort, and several have reported preliminary results; so far no one has reproduced Weber’s findings. The pace of research is accelerating, and this appears to be a good time to discuss the current experiments and those planned for the next few years.

References

  1. 1. R. P. Feynman, Acta Phys. Polon. 24, 697 (1963).

  2. 2. J. Weber, “Gravitational Waves,” Gravity Research Foundation Prize Essay, 1959, New Boston, N. H.

  3. 3. J. Weber, Phys. Rev. 117, 306 (1960).https://doi.org/PHRVAO

  4. 4. J. Weber, General Relativity and Gravitational Waves, Interscience, New York (1961).

  5. 5. J. Weber in Conference Internationale sur les Théories Relativistes de la Gravitation, Gauthier‐Villars, Paris (1964), page 82. (Conference in Warsaw, 1962.)

  6. 6. J. Weber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 18, 498 (1967).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  7. 7. J. Weber, J. V. Larsen, J. Geophys. Res. 71, 6005 (1966).https://doi.org/JGREA2

  8. 8. J. Weber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 17, 1228 (1966).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  9. 9. J. Sinsky, J. Weber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 18, 795 (1967).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  10. 10. J. Weber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 22, 1320 (1969).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  11. 11. J. Weber in Relativity, (M. Carmeli, S. Fickler, L. Witten, eds.) Plenum, New York (1970), page 133. (Conference at Cincinnati, June 1969.)

  12. 12. D. H. Ezrow, N. S. Wall, J. Weber, G. B. Yodh, Phys. Rev. Lett. 24, 945 (1970).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  13. 13. R. A. Adamyants, A. D. Alekseev, N. I. Kososnitsyn, ZhETF Pis. Red. (1972);
    English translation in Soviet Physics‐JETP Letters 15, 194 (1972).https://doi.org/SPHJAR

  14. 14. J. A. Tyson, C. G. Maclennan, L. J. Lanzerotti (1972), “Correlation of Reported Gravitational Radiation Events with Terrestrial Phenomena,” to be published.

  15. 15. J. Weber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 25, 180 (1970).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  16. 16. D. H. Douglass, J. A. Tyson, Astrophys. J. 178, 341 (1972).https://doi.org/ASJOAB

  17. 17. J. A. Tyson, D. H. Douglass, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 991 (1972).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  18. 18. J. Weber, in Relativity and Gravitation, (C. G. Kuper, A. Peres, eds.) Gordon and Breach, New York (1971), page 309. (Conference in Israel, July 1969.)

  19. 19. V. B. Braginskii, Ya. B. Zeldovich, V. N. Rudenko, ZhETF Pis. Red. 10, 437 (1969);
    English translation in V. B. Braginskii, Ya. B. Zeldovich, V. N. Rudenko, Soviet Physics‐JETP Letters 10, 280 (1969).https://doi.org/SPHJAR

  20. 20. Reported at the Sixth International Conference on Gravitation and Relativity, held in Copenhagen, July 1971.

  21. 21. J. Weber, Nuovo Cimento 4B, 197 (1971).

  22. 22. W. H. Press, K. S. Thorne, “Gravitational Wave Astronomy,” in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 10, (1972), page 335.

  23. 23. D. W. Sciama, G. B. Field, M. J. Rees, Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 1514 (1969).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  24. 24. G. B. Field, M. J. Rees, D. W. Sciama, Comm. Astrophys. Space Sci. 1, 187 (1969).

  25. 25. F. J. Dyson, “Gravitational Machines,” chapter 12 in Interstellar Communication, (A. G. W. Cameron, ed.) W. A. Benjamin, New York (1963).

  26. 26. R. L. Forward, D. Berman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 18, 1071 (1967).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  27. 27. J. Weber, R. W. Clemens, “Response of Detectors to Gravitational Radiation from Collapsing Stars and Binary Systems,” in Magic Without Magic: John Archibald Wheeler, W. H. Freeman, San Francisco (1972), page 223.

  28. 28. J. A. Wheeler, R. Ruffini, “Relativistic Cosmology and Space Platforms” in The Significance of Space Research for Fundamental Physics, European Space Research Organization (1970).

  29. 29. F. J. Dyson, Astrophys. J. 156, 529 (1969).https://doi.org/ASJOAB

  30. 30. Reported at the Sixth Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, December 1972. To be published in the Proceedings of the New York Academy of Sciences.

  31. 31. C. Brans, R. H. Dicke, Phys. Rev. 124, 925 (1961).https://doi.org/PHRVAO

  32. 32. J. Weber, Nature 240, 28 (1972).https://doi.org/NATUAS

  33. 33. G. W. Gibbons, S. W. Hawking, Phys. Rev. D4, 2191 (1971).https://doi.org/PRVDAQ

  34. 34. J. A. Tyson, G. L. Miller (1972), “Optimization and Calibration of Gravitational Wave Antennas,” to be published.

  35. 35. V. B. Braginskii, A. B. Manukin, E. I. Popov, V. N. Rudenko, A. A. Khorev, ZhETF Pis. Red. 16, 157 (1972);
    English translation in V. B. Braginskii, A. B. Manukin, E. I. Popov, V. N. Rudenko, A. A. Khorev, Soviet Physics‐JETP Letters 16, 108 (1972).https://doi.org/SPHJAR

  36. 36. J. L. Levine, R. L. Garwin, Phys. Rev. Lett. (to be published).

  37. 37. V. B. Braginskii, V. N. Rudenko, Usp. Fiz. Nauk 100, 395 (1970); https://doi.org/UFNAAG
    English translation in V. B. Braginskii, V. N. Rudenko, Soviet Physics Uspekhi 13, 165 (1970).

  38. 38. J. Weber, Lettere Al Nuovo Cimento IV, 653 (1970).

  39. 39. G. E. Moss, L. R. Miller, R. L. Forward, Appl. Opt. 10, 2495 (1971).https://doi.org/APOPAI

  40. 40. Proceedings of a Conference on Experimental Tests of Gravitational Theories, 1971, (R. W. Davies, ed.) JPL Tech. Mem. 33–499.

  41. 41. D. H. Douglass, “A New Class of Gravitational Wave Detectors,” Gravity Research Foundation Prize Essay, 1970.

  42. 42. J. P. Ostriker, J. E. Gunn, Astrophys. J. 157, 1395 (1969).https://doi.org/ASJOAB

  43. 43. D. H. Douglass, J. A. Tyson, Nature 229, 34 (1971).https://doi.org/NATUAS

  44. 44. D. Sadeh, M. Meidav, Nature 240, 136 (1972).https://doi.org/NATUAS

  45. 45. D. Sadeh, Nature 240, 139 (1972).https://doi.org/NATUAS

  46. 46. T. S. Mast, J. E. Nelson, J. Saarloos, R. A. Muller, B. Bolt, Nature 240, 140 (1972).https://doi.org/NATUAS

  47. 47. V. B. Braginskii, M. B. Menskii, ZhETF Pis. Red. 13, 587 (1971);
    English translation in V. B. Braginskii, M. B. Menskii, Soviet Physics‐JETP Letters 13, 417 (1971).https://doi.org/SPHJAR

  48. 48. V. B. Braginskii, Uspekhi Fiz. Nauk 86, 433 (1965);
    English translation in V. B. Braginskii, Soviet Physics‐Uspekhi 8, 513 (1966).

  49. 49. K. G. Jansky, Proc. IRE 20, 1920 (1932).https://doi.org/PIREAE

  50. 50. K. G. Jansky, Proc. IRE 21, 1387 (1933).https://doi.org/PIREAE

More about the Authors

Jonothan L. Logan. Rockefeller University, New York.

This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1973_03.jpeg

Volume 26, Number 3

Related content
/
Article
Technical knowledge and skills are only some of the considerations that managers have when hiring physical scientists. Soft skills, in particular communication, are also high on the list.
/
Article
Professional societies can foster a sense of belonging and offer early-career scientists opportunities to give back to their community.
/
Article
Interviews offer a glimpse of how physicists get into—and thrive in—myriad nonacademic careers.
/
Article
Research exchanges between US and Soviet scientists during the second half of the 20th century may be instructive for navigating today’s debates on scientific collaboration.
/
Article
The Eisenhower administration dismissed the director of the National Bureau of Standards in 1953. Suspecting political interference with the agency’s research, scientists fought back—and won.
/
Article
Alternative undergraduate physics courses expand access to students and address socioeconomic barriers that prevent many of them from entering physics and engineering fields. The courses also help all students develop quantitative skills.

Get PT in your inbox

Physics Today - The Week in Physics

The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.

Physics Today - Table of Contents
Physics Today - Whitepapers & Webinars
By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.