[ExI] A odd Gravitational Wave

[Stuart LaForge]

Quoting John Clark:

>>
>> * > I don't see how an isotropic gravitational collapse could cause
>> gravitational waves. I thought the generation of gravitational waves
>> required a dipole or quadripole or some kind of asymmetry.*
>
> True, the collapse would have to be very asymmetrical , and I admit that
> seems a bit unlikely.
>
>>
>> * > But if it wasn't a failed supernova, then I have no idea what could
>> have caused such a short powerful burst of gravitational waves. Very
>> mysterious indeed.*
>
> I was thinking maybe 2 sub solar mass Black Holes coalescing. That would be
> really cool if true. Black Holes that small would pretty much have to be
> primordial, I can't think of anything except the Big Bang itself that would
> have conditions extreme enough to produce them.

But the burst was so short, only 14 milliseconds. That is shorter than  
both the typical signals of the usual stellar black hole collisions  
which are on the order of a couple of seconds and neutron star  
collisions which are on the order of 30 seconds.

According to space.com:
https://www.space.com/mysterious-gravitational-burst.html
"Another possibility is that the merging of two intermediate-mass  
black holes caused the signal, Howell said. Merging neutron stars  
produce waves that last longer (around 30 seconds) than this new  
signal, while merging black holes might more closely resemble bursts  
(that last around a couple of seconds). However, intermediate black  
hole mergers might also release a series of waves that change in  
frequency."

Wouldn't it be cool if the signal was an advanced civilization that  
activated an Alcubierre drive powered by a mountain-massed microscopic  
black hole in order to escape the imminent supernova of Betelguese?

LIGO hasn't released the frequency/shape of the signal yet so, it is  
all just speculation anyway.

Gravitational wave astronomy is such cool stuff. It is like a  
renaissance in astrophysics and I seriously think that it will lead us  
to a theory of quantum gravity someday.

Stuart LaForge