When electromagnetic radiation passes through a conductor, its presence is detec

Question

When electromagnetic radiation passes through a conductor, its presence is detected by the fact that it oscillates the electrons in the conductor, producing an AC current... as in an antenna. How do we detect that gravitational radiation is passing through an object? 1. The wave causes clocks to run much slower than normal.

2. The wave bends laser beams so that they move in a circle.

3. The wave causes clocks to run much faster than normal.

4. The wave causes a very tiny oscillation in the local temperature of the system the wave passes through.

5. The wave causes clocks to stop, momentarily. 6. The wave causes physical objects to change very slightly in size.

7. The wave causes conduction electrons to spin in tiny circles.

Explanation / Answer

The answer is 6) The wave causes physical objects to change very slightly in size.

When gravitational waves travel through inside an object, it contorts that object’s shape. The wave stretches and squeezes the object along the direction in which the wave is traveling. GW detectors identify these distortions by parting the laser light into two perpendicular beams that go for a few kilometers before being reflected back to an indicator. Any distinctions in the wavelength of the two sections of the shaft show a change, indicative of gravitational waves.

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