Atomic Interferometry

  • Released Thursday, October 11, 2012

Einstein predicted gravity waves in his general theory of relativity, but to date these ripples in the fabric of space-time have never been observed. Now a scientific research technique called Atomic Interferometry is trying to re-write the canon. In conjunction with researchers at Stanford University, scientists at NASA Goddard are developing a system to measure the faint gravitational vibrations generated by movement of massive objects in the universe. The scientific payoff could be important, helping better clarify key issues in our understanding of cosmology. But application payoff could be substantial, too, with the potential to develop profound advances in fields like geolocation and timekeeping. In this video we examine how the system would work, and the scientific underpinnings of the research effort.



Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Release date

This page was originally published on Thursday, October 11, 2012.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:52 PM EDT.