- #1
tionis
Gold Member
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[PLAIN said:https://arxiv.org/abs/1502.06120][/PLAIN]
[PLAIN said:https://arxiv.org/abs/1502.06120][/PLAIN]
The passage of gravitational radiation past a pair of nearby inertial detectors produces oscillations in their relative positions. After the waves have passed, and spacetime locally reverts to the vacuum, the detectors in general do not return to their initial relative positions. The resulting displacement, discovered in 1974 [1-11], is known as the gravitational memory effect.
Would someone please explain what this quote is saying? What does it mean when they say that spacetime locally reverts to the vacuum? Wasn't the passing gravitational wave made of spacetime vacuum to begin with? And what about the detectors not returning to their original relative position? Is that something they can measure and how do they do it? Thanks.
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