Gravity - Do We Need to Rewrite General Relativity?
By Matthew Francis on Thu, 18 Jun 2015
Q
General relativity, the theory of gravity Albert Einstein published 100 years ago, is one of the most successful theories we have. It has passed every experimental test; every observation from astronomy is consistent with its predictions. Physicists and astronomers have used the theory to understand the behavior of binary pulsars, predict the black holes we now know pepper every galaxy, and obtain deep insights into the structure of the entire universe.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/physics/2015/06/do-we-need-to-rewrite-general-relativity/
“That’s not good enough,” says Moffat. “A theory should predict something that the other theories or other paradigm cannot reproduce. Then you know you’re on the right track.” That thought turned him toward another major GR prediction: black holes, objects so massive and compact that their curvature prevents light from escaping.
Few astrophysicists doubt that black holes exist: We know of a large number of very massive, very dense objects in the cosmos, for which the black hole hypothesis is the only one that fits. However, we have yet to “see” the event horizon, the boundary separating the exterior of a black hole from its interior—where nothing can escape back into the outside Universe. That’s the goal of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which is actually made of six observatories scattered around the world, observing the same objects in concert. Working together, they can create real images of whatever is right outside the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, a new frontier where GR’s most exotic effects could be measured.
UQ
By Matthew Francis on Thu, 18 Jun 2015
Q
General relativity, the theory of gravity Albert Einstein published 100 years ago, is one of the most successful theories we have. It has passed every experimental test; every observation from astronomy is consistent with its predictions. Physicists and astronomers have used the theory to understand the behavior of binary pulsars, predict the black holes we now know pepper every galaxy, and obtain deep insights into the structure of the entire universe.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/physics/2015/06/do-we-need-to-rewrite-general-relativity/
“That’s not good enough,” says Moffat. “A theory should predict something that the other theories or other paradigm cannot reproduce. Then you know you’re on the right track.” That thought turned him toward another major GR prediction: black holes, objects so massive and compact that their curvature prevents light from escaping.
Few astrophysicists doubt that black holes exist: We know of a large number of very massive, very dense objects in the cosmos, for which the black hole hypothesis is the only one that fits. However, we have yet to “see” the event horizon, the boundary separating the exterior of a black hole from its interior—where nothing can escape back into the outside Universe. That’s the goal of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which is actually made of six observatories scattered around the world, observing the same objects in concert. Working together, they can create real images of whatever is right outside the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, a new frontier where GR’s most exotic effects could be measured.
UQ