Ultra-High-Intensity Lasers for Gravitational Wave Generation and Detection

The problem of efficient generation of High Frequency Gravitational Waves (HFGWs) and pulses of Gravitational Radiation might find a reasonably simple solution by employing nuclear matter, especially isomers. A fissioning isomer not only rotates at extremely high frequency (~ 3.03x10 24 s-1), but is also highly deformed in the first stages of fission (the nucleus is rotating and made asymmetric "before" fission). Thus one achieves significant impulsive forces (e.g., 3.67x10 8 N) acting over extremely short time spans (e.g., 3.3x10-22 s). Alternatively, a pulsed particle beam, which could include antimatter, could trigger nuclear reactions and build up a coherent GW as the particles move through a target mass. The usual difficulty with HFGWs generated by nuclear reactions is the small dimensions of their nuclearreaction volumes, that is, the small moment of inertia and submicroscopic radii of gyration (e.g., 10-16 m) of the nuclearmass system. Such a difficulty is overcome by utilizing clusters of nuclear material, whose nuclear reactions are in synchronization (through the use of a computer controlled logic system) and are at a large distance apart, e.g., meters, kilometers, etc. The effective radius of gyration of the overall nuclear mass system is enormous and if the quadrupole formalism holds even approximately, then significant HFGW is generated, for example up to 8.5x10 10 W to 1.64x10 25 W bursts for the transient asymmetrical spinning nucleus case. In this preliminary analysis, possible conceptual designs of reactors suitable for the generation of HFGWs are discussed as well as applications to space technology. In an optimized dual-beam design, GW amplitudes on the order of A ~ 0.005 are theoretically achieved in the laboratory, which might have interesting general-relativity and nuclear-physics consequences.

Section: Space Technology Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generation of Gravitational Waves with Nuclear Reactions

Fontana

Baker²

2006

Modified Design of Novel Variable-Focus Lens for VHFGW

Woods

2007

Abstract. The present author previously published a paper at STAIF 2006 detailing the design of a novel variablefocus lens for use with very-high frequency gravitational waves (VHFGW, typically around 3GHz). Such a lens would be invaluable in the design of advanced GW optics for communications applications since focusing would be achievable electrically with no moving parts. The design was based upon the published calculations of Torr (in 1992 and1993) claiming to show that GWs propagate inside superconductors with a phase velocity reduction by a factor n ~ 300× and a corresponding wavenumber increase. Successful demonstration of this lens would also confirm the controversial Li and Torr result. Type II superconductors do not completely expel large magnetic fields, but instead allow vortices of magnetic flux to channel the magnetic field through the material. Within these vortices, the superconductor is magnetically quenched and so has properties similar or identical to those of non-superconductors. Varying the applied magnetic field varies the proportion of material quenched and superconducting. For GW wavelengths significantly larger than the typical vortex separation, the GW propagation through a type II superconductor is therefore dependent upon the applied magnetic field. Since a conventional optical lens may be regarded as a position-dependent phase shifter, and the VHFGW phase-shift depends upon the applied magnetic field, the design of a VHFGW lens therefore reduces to producing a suitable applied magnetic field variation that gives a technologically-useful spatial variation of phase shift. In this paper, a modified method of producing the required magnetic field is introduced, as well as a more detailed discussion of the VHFGW propagation through the superconducting material with an applied field.

Surveillance Applications of High-Frequency Gravitational Waves

Baker¹

2007

This paper explores the possibility of utilizing a novel means of imaging to establish a system of surveillance-a system that may allow for the observation in three-dimensions of activities within and below structures and within the Earth and its oceans. High-Frequency Gravitational Waves (HFGWs) pass through most material with little or no attenuation; but although they are not absorbed their polarization, phase velocity (causing refraction or bending of GWs) and/or other characteristics can be modified by a material object's texture and internal structure. For example, the change in polarization of a GW passing through a material object is discussed in Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler (1973). Specifically, "If the wave is a pulse, then the backscatter will cause its shape and polarization to keep changing ..." Such an assertion will need to be verified both theoretically and experimentally, but the potential payoffs are enormous. Applications of this technology include satellite-based surveillance systems to image subterranean weapons of mass destruction or WMDs, personnel of interest inside and behind buildings, deeply submerged submarines, hidden missiles and rockets, oil and mineral deposits, etc. as well as acoustical surveillance. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Observatory or LIGO and other interferometer detectors cannot detect HFGWs due to the HFGW's short wavelengths as discussed by Shawhan (2004). Long-wavelength gravitational waves having thousand and million meter wavelengths, which can be detected by LIGO, are of no practical surveillance value due to their diffraction and resulting poor resolution. Short HFGW wavelengths of a few meters to fractions of a millimeter and the sensitivity of the HFGW generator-detector system to polarization angle changes of yoctoradians to 10-40 radians could afford suitable resolution for practical surveillance systems.