traveling gravity wave

[hoola]

what would happen to a gravity wave traveling through space and passing the region of a black hole?  In considering the part of the wave which intersects the hole, does the hole swallow that part of the wave like any physical object ? If so, does the wave energy add mass to the hole? Thanks.

[Strange]

Interesting question.

Gravitational waves can pass through matter unchanged. But in the case of a black hole, I assume it could absorb some of the energy. But I imagine the wavelength of the gravitational wave would have to be smaller than the diameter of the black hole for that to happen. (And it would be a negligible effect anyway.)

You could ask for a professional answer here: http://stuver.blogspot.co.uk/p/ask-question.html 

[hoola]

thanks again, and I upgraded the questions to the ligo site with another related one. If a spectrum of a range of gwave freqs. could be used to probe the bh interior...(if some pass through and some don't in a freq. dependent manner, then could some inferences be made of the results)...of course, the spectrum would have to be "tuned" to the bh diameter, ranged slightly above and below the observed diameter. Of course, an agile bh wave generator would have to be invented first...so this is more of a thought experiment.

Edited August 27, 2017 by hoola

[beecee]

Let's remember that a BH is  just critically curved spacetime, with the mass in some unknown state at the core. Let's also remember that when two BH's collide/merge, the spacetime enveloped by their respective EH's would initially form a dumb bell like shape [depending on angle of trajectory] with much ringing down [similar to a bowl of jelly when shaken] until they settled into one larger BH, creating gravitational waves also, and as has been recently discovered. 

Considering the above, I would guess that any gravitational wave from another source that meets a BH, would be partially absorbed by the BH, while the rest of the gravitational wave travelled merrily on its way. The following link may give you an answer....http://casa.colorado.edu/~ajsh/home.html

In the meantime, don't forget to publish any answers/replies you receive from LIGO.

Edited August 27, 2017 by beecee

[hoola]

as the wave component that passes near the bh continues on...could that close encounter cause  it to be "lensed" by the encounter, and perhaps enhanced in areas and nulled in others, creating a secondarily lobed field that continues on in a defined, regular, but fading pattern?

[beecee]

4 hours ago, hoola said:

as the wave component that passes near the bh continues on...could that close encounter cause  it to be "lensed" by the encounter, and perhaps enhanced in areas and nulled in others, creating a secondarily lobed field that continues on in a defined, regular, but fading pattern?

I see that as a reasonably valid assumption...analogous to a water wave hitting a pier leg, and traversing around it.

[hoola]

 well,  the EHT results will be along soon .maybe the accretion disk geometry will show wave influences from close encounters with near orbiting stars.as they decelerate away 

Edited August 28, 2017 by hoola