Detecting gravitational waves with light

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Pössel, Markus
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Pössel, Markus
author_facet Pössel, Markus
contents The strong evidence for low-frequency gravitational waves from pulsar timing arrays (PTAs), published in 2023, has widened the scope for teaching about gravitational wave astronomy. This article provides a simple, unified overview of the detection of gravitational waves using light waves that encompasses the recent PTA detections, the by-now classic interferometric detections using LIGO and similar detectors, and the yet-to-be-accomplished detections using long-arm detectors like the spaceborne LISA. The presentation is at a level accessible for undergraduate students. The influence of gravitational waves on light is derived in a way that makes use only of basic gravitational wave properties and Einstein's equivalence principle.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_18639
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Detecting gravitational waves with light
Pössel, Markus
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Physics Education
The strong evidence for low-frequency gravitational waves from pulsar timing arrays (PTAs), published in 2023, has widened the scope for teaching about gravitational wave astronomy. This article provides a simple, unified overview of the detection of gravitational waves using light waves that encompasses the recent PTA detections, the by-now classic interferometric detections using LIGO and similar detectors, and the yet-to-be-accomplished detections using long-arm detectors like the spaceborne LISA. The presentation is at a level accessible for undergraduate students. The influence of gravitational waves on light is derived in a way that makes use only of basic gravitational wave properties and Einstein's equivalence principle.
title Detecting gravitational waves with light
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Physics Education
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.18639