ESA is preparing to launch a device that can prove the possibility of measuring gravitational waves in space
Scientists have been searching for gravitational waves on Earth for years, but so far they have not had the opportunity to study these waves outside our planet. It is believed that gravitational waves in space can help us understand the nature of black holes and other objects that distort the space-time structure of the universe. Now scientists are one step closer to this possibility.
The European Space Agency is almost ready to launch the LISA Pathfinder, which will demonstrate the ability to measure gravitational waves in space. When the device starts its work in March next year, it will not measure the gravitational effects themselves. Instead, he will try to detect extremely small (at the picometer level) changes between two test objects located inside the device — in this way LISA Pathfinder can prove that we can achieve the exceptional level of measurement accuracy needed to detect gravitational waves.
If the test passes as planned, it will be the beginning of a very long way. The full-scale detector will be deployed only by 2034 - during this time an entire generation will have time to grow up. When the system is working, it can fill a lot of white spots in astrophysics. At the moment, interference from nearby galaxies is preventing scientists from studying the energy of high-energy cosmic events, such as the merging of supermassive black holes. The space gravitational detector will help to obtain the necessary data and better understand the Universe.
Source: European Space Agency
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