Stellar vibrations could be used to detect gravitational waves

New Scientist : Stars like the Sun experience regular internal vibrations driven by the thermal energy they release. Those oscillations are already used to study the stars’ structures and to detect orbiting planets. According to Ilídio Lopes of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, and Joseph Silk of the Johns Hopkins University, they may also be useful for detecting gravitational waves. The researchers propose that a triple-star system made up of a pair of closely orbiting white dwarfs and a nearby red giant would be the ideal arrangement for attempting the detection. As the white dwarfs orbit each other, they would create gravitational waves. If the frequency of those waves is close to the oscillation frequency of the red giant, the gravitational waves would resonantly amplify the star’s vibration. Lopes and Silk say the next generation of telescopes that will be used for finding extrasolar planets would be sensitive enough to detect the change in vibration.