. 24/7 Space News .
PHYSICS NEWS
A new type of gravitational wave detector to find tennis ballsized black holes
by Staff Writers
Brussels, Belgium (SPX) Jun 23, 2021

stock illustration only

"Detecting primordial black holes opens up new perspectives to understand the origin of the Universe, because these still hypothetical black holes are supposed to have formed just a few tiny fractions of a second after the Big Bang. Their study is of great interest for research in theoretical physics and cosmology, because they could notably explain the origin of dark matter in the Universe".

You can see stars in the eyes of the members of the team led by Professor Fuzfa, astrophysicist at UNamur, when talking about the perspectives of their research. This project is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the UNamur and ULB, to which the ENS added thanks to the involvement of trainee student Leonard Lehoucq.

The idea was to combine the UNamur expertise in the field of gravitational wave antennas, an idea patented by Professor F?zfa in 2018 and studied by Nicolas Herman as part of his doctorate, with that of ULB in the booming field of primordial black holes, in which Professor Clesse is one of the central players.

They have just developed an application of this type of detector in order to observe "small" primordial black holes. Their results have just been published in the journal Physical Review D. "To this day, these primordial black holes are still hypothetical, because it is difficult to make the difference between a black hole resulting from the implosion of a star core and a primordial black hole.

Being able to observe smaller black holes, the mass of a planet but a few centimeters in size, would make the difference," the team of researchers says. They carry on: "We are offering experimenters a device that could detect them, by capturing the gravitational waves they emit when merging and which are of much higher frequencies than those currently available".

But what is the technique? A gravitational wave "antenna", composed of a specific metal cavity and suitably immersed in a strong external magnetic field. When the gravitational wave goes through the magnetic field, it generates electromagnetic waves in the cavity. In a way, the gravitational wave makes the cavity "hiss" (resonate), not with sound but with microwaves.

This type of device, just a few meters in size, would be enough to detect fusions of primordial small black holes millions of light years from Earth. It is much more compact than the commonly used detectors (LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA interferometers) which are several kilometers long. The detection method makes it sensitive to very high frequency gravitational waves (in the order of 100 MHz, compared to 10-1000 Hz for LIGO / Virgo / Kagra), which are not produced by ordinary astrophysical sources such as fusions, neutron stars or stellar black holes.

On the other hand, it is ideal for the detection of small black holes, the mass of a planet and its size goes from a small ball to a tennis ball. "Our detector proposal combines well mastered and everyday life technologies such as magnetrons in microwave ovens, MRI magnets and radio antennas. But don't take your household appliances apart right away to start the adventure: read our article first, then order your equipment, understand the device and the signal that awaits you at the output," the researchers say laughingly.

This patented technique is currently at the stage of advanced theoretical modeling, but has all the necessary elements to enter a more concrete phase, with the construction of a prototype. In any case, it paves the way for fundamental research into the origins of our Universe. In addition to primordial black holes, this type of detector could also directly observe the gravitational waves emitted at the time of the Big Bang, and thus probe physics at much higher energies than the ones achieved in particle accelerators.

Research paper


Related Links
Universite libre de Bruxelles
The Physics of Time and Space


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


PHYSICS NEWS
Scientists find new insights into the elusive continuous waves from spinning neutron stars
Melbourne, Australia (SPX) May 28, 2021
Five years on from the first discovery of gravitational waves, an international team of scientists, including from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), are continuing the hunt for new discoveries and insights into the Universe. Using the super-sensitive, kilometre-sized LIGO detectors in the United States, and the Virgo detector in Europe, the team have witnessed the explosive collisions of black holes and neutron stars. Recent studies, however, have been looking for s ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

PHYSICS NEWS
How astronauts can do laundry during space mission

Astronauts enjoy many food, beverage choices in orbit

US, French astronauts make ISS spacewalk

Sierra Space and Rhodium Scientific exploring viability of science operations on Sierra Space Life Habitat

PHYSICS NEWS
Operational Fires Program completes successful rocket engine tests

Turkey invites Russia to take part in construction of country's spaceport

Boost for UK space sector as new facility offers cheaper and greener rocket testing

Debris from carrier rocket drop safely

PHYSICS NEWS
Getting a robot to take a selfie on Mars

Jezero crater's 'Delta Scarp' revealed in new images

Lockheed Martin aeroshell selected to for next Mars lander

Mars rover to move south after testing

PHYSICS NEWS
Xi lauds 'new horizon' for humanity in space chat with astronauts

Successful program ignited by modest spark of an idea

Astronauts board China's new space station for first time

Astronauts arrange new 'home' in space

PHYSICS NEWS
OneWeb and BT to explore rural connectivity solutions for UK

EXIM approves $80M to support insurance coverage for Hispasat satellite

USAF, FAA collaborate on commercial space regulations

South Australia startups target international space opportunities

PHYSICS NEWS
Northrop Grumman flight tests Digital Wideband AESA Sensor

US Navy tests warship's metal with megablast

Compact quantum computer for server centers

Meringue-like material could make aircraft as quiet as a hairdryer

PHYSICS NEWS
Nightside radio could help reveal exoplanet details

Some seafloor microbes can take the heat: And here's what they eat

SpaceML.org aims to accelerate AI application in space science and exploration

Earth-like biospheres on other planets may be rare

PHYSICS NEWS
Next stop Jupiter as country's interplanetary ambitions grow

First images of Ganymede as Juno sailed by

Leiden astronomers calculate genesis of Oort cloud in chronologically order

NASA's Juno to get a close look at Jupiter's Moon Ganymede









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.