Sound Waves Mimic Gravity

Abstract

A recently discovered acoustic effect allows a hot gas to simulate the gravity-induced convection within a star or giant planet. By Michael Schirber Sometimes a light bulb goes on-literally-and a scientific advance is made. Researchers studying an acoustic effect in high-powered light bulbs have developed a system that mimics the gravitational field around planets and stars [1]. The team demonstrated that sound waves in the bulb generate a force that pulls gas toward the bulb's center. This gravity-like force causes the gas to move around in convection cycles that resemble fluid flows in the Sun and in giant planets. With further improvements, the system could be used to investigate convection behavior that is too difficult to simulate with computers.