gravity force speed

[galen]

You have a binary star system s1,s2 with 0.1 light year separation.

s1 goes supernova. Would the gravitational perturbation of the right motion of s2 be instant or light transit time delayed. If instant, depending on the orbital dispositions we could observe perturbation before the supernova.

[Coneys]

Gravitational effects can not occur faster than the speed of light, so when the one star goes supernova, the other won't feel the effects for at least a tenth of a year. If the affected star were in a position closer to the viewer than the supernova, they would still only see the effects after the radiation/light traveled the tenth of a year and then continued on towards the viewer.

Edited March 19, 2010 by Coneys

[ajb]

Would the gravitational perturbation of the right motion of s2 be instant or light transit time delayed.

 

Gravity is best described by general relativity. The gravitational perturbations are also known as gravitational waves. You can show that these travel at the speed of light.

 

Although gravitational waves have yet to be detected, careful study of binary pulsars (for example) supports there existence and confirms general relativity.

[galen]

gravity action speed, what the experiments show.

Physics letters A 250:1-11 (1998)

Astrophys.&Space Sci 224:249-261 (1996)

Meta Res.Bull. 5:38-50 & 62-64 (1996)

 

The force carrier for gravity (graviton) is a wave. It presumably will show wave properties and travel at c.

Masses have been exchanging gravitons ever since all mass was local.

The size of the gravity mediated universe is the same as the photon observable universe.

In my example, gravitons arriving at s2 interact and instantly generate gravity force at the CURRENT positions

of s1 and s2. This non local action ensures Newtonian gravity dynamics.

The same applies to gravitons arriving at s1 at the moment of supernova.

There is no conflict between the wave velocity and the speed of execution of gravity interaction.

We must all accept that there is is no aberration (retardation) of the gravity action.

Binary high mass observations showing retardation cannot eliminate mass transfer as a contributor.

If you apply light speed retardation, then high mass binary systems decay very rapidly,and would not be observed.

 

Thus s2 will perturb at the moment of supernova since s1 mass is absent.

 

Evidence is still accumulating and even on the scale of the solar system, calculations show orbital instability

with even very small variation from Newtonian dynamics.

Edited March 19, 2010 by galen