Adoration
14 Mar 2015 9:25:28 UTC
Topic 198014
(moderation:
Adoration
On March 14, 1879 - i.e. 136 years ago - Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany. There were no signs in his earliest phase of life that this event would lead to a new dress for physics. The unification of space and time in a new theory meant dawn of a new understanding of our world and the universe. There is no way to escape the fascination that goes from the theory of relativity and particle physics. It fills me with enthusiasm to participate in a modest degree on knowledge and its impact on our everyday lives.
During the tour at LIGO Hanford Observatory with our son Daniel (PhD LIGO) the feeling of admiration for the technology and teamwork was established. Scientists are trying to make the impossible possible - to detect gravitational waves by measuring a change in length of about 10exponent-20 meters. Even if you're trying to make this challenge clearly - at a distance of 10,000 times the distance of Earth to Sun to discover something that corresponds to the diameter of a human hair - shows up the limits of our imagination for such orders of magnitude.
My adoration of Albert Einstein was the occasion of a representation of his likeness with Lego bricks. To all, who are involved in some way with E@H, I dedicate this picture.
May your projects succeed !
Built by Arthur & Laura Sigg - Size: 80 x 103 cm, 5600 Lego bricks, 26 partly rare Colors, Graphic: Arez Sukarno
I know I am a part of a story that starts long before I can remember and continues long beyond when anyone will remember me [Danny Hillis, Long Now]
Adoration
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Aha ! The penny drops ... Daniel Sigg as in Sigg-Sidles angular instability due to radiation pressure ( see here ). It is a fine thing to have such a son. :-)
Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman are my modern day physics heroes, and of course I just luv LEGO. Nice portrait piece and very well done. I feel as you do : LIGO is very ambitious but also a very worth while enterprise. E@H is a great adjunct to that effort and a hoot to be involved with. :-)
Cheers, Mike.
( edit ) I ought quickly say that the analysis by Mr Siggs and Mr Sidles showed that for high power interferometers the momentum of the photons as they bounce off the mirrors ( at each end of the arms ) can cause significant modes of mirror oscillation of a certain type. This can couple the motion of the mirrors - that are separated by several kilometers - to the extent that they behave as if they were attached by a spring say, and the strength of that 'optical spring' would rival that of the hardware suspending the mirrors !!
Thus lies some crucial considerations for the design and control of AdLIGO. We touched upon this topic > 5 years ago now in a Detector Watch thread. I forget which one. There the effect was noticeable but not too much a worry with the handfull of watts of laser power then used. Not so now.
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
Impressive piece of art,
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Impressive piece of art, thanks for sharing this and for the good wishes to the project!
Yeah, this year is not just the 10th anniversary of E@H (official start in Feb 2005) but also the 100th anniversary of GR, so it's an especially good time to remember Albert Einstein.
(And I need to get some LEGO bricks again :-). Build some cases for my Raspberry Pis, build a model laser interferometer [*] for the astronomy club.... any pretext will do ;-) ).
HB
[*] http://www.imlau.physik.uni-osnabrueck.de/Forschung/LEGO.php {german}
Albert Einstein died on April
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Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1855.
Today, the anniversary of the death of Albert Einstein marks the sixtieth time.
Today I learned of the largest "blunder" by Albert Einstein, as he called himself his adoption of a cosmic constant; the fact that his theory of relativity did not let understand, without assuming that the universe would have to either expand or contract. But that is exactly what scientists take on at the moment: The dark energy could be responsible for the increasingly (exponetial) expansion of the universe.
Today I wished that he could experience this yet!
I know I am a part of a story that starts long before I can remember and continues long beyond when anyone will remember me [Danny Hillis, Long Now]