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upyoars OP t1_j22c5z8 wrote

> Scientists have proposed another use for the world's largest gravitational wave observatory: scanning for the ripples in space-time left in the wake of gargantuan alien spaceships.

> Now, new calculations published Dec. 5 to the preprint database arXiv(opens in new tab) suggest that the U.S.-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) can look beyond conventional sources for these space-time ripples. Colossal alien spacecraft traveling at high speeds, or pushed along by warp drives, would also produce the telltale vibrations.

> The LIGO detector spots gravitational waves from the tiny distortions they make in space-time as they pass through it. Made up of two intersecting L-shaped detectors — each with two 2.48-mile-long (4 kilometers) arms and two identical laser beams inside — the experiment is designed such that if a gravitational wave passes through Earth, the laser light in one arm of the detector will get compressed while the other expands, creating a tiny change in relative path lengths of the beams arriving at the detector.

> To be detectable by LIGO, an alien mothership would need to weigh roughly the same as Jupiter, travel at one-tenth the speed of light, and be within 326,000 light-years of Earth.

> The physicists have noted that advanced alien warp drives would create gravitational wave patterns that would be distinguishable from natural sources and that, if detected, these alien waves could even provide humans with clues about how to reverse engineer the technology.

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Leandenor7 t1_j23e6dw wrote

Wouldn’t it also require LIGO to be detecting at a particular direction? This is quite a shot at the dark. Its like trying to listen for farts to recreate your neighbors anal cavity.

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_ALH_ t1_j23f4bk wrote

That would probably be many magnitudes easier and more likely to succeed. At least you know your neighbour actually exists.

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NerdyRedneck45 t1_j241nk2 wrote

It isn’t really directional in that way, it’s detecting gravitational waves from all around. You can pinpoint the location by timing differences of detectors around the world.

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ML4Bratwurst t1_j24nge8 wrote

Yes. The direction where it's coming from and where it is heading can be determined because the LIGO system actually has two stations. Each one in the other side of the earth.

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Takeoded t1_j25hqix wrote

>need to weigh roughly the same as Jupiter

Well shit, for comparison Jupiter weights about 14 million times the weight of the Death Star. (assuming Jupiter is 1.8 septillion metric tons and the Death Star is 134 quadrillion metric tons; which was the first google result for "Jupiter weight" and "Death Star weight" respectivly)

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SgathTriallair t1_j24s2ii wrote

That last part is the problem. We don't have any realistic physics that allows was drive. For instance, the one they are talking about requires negative mass which we not only have no evidence of but it sounds pretty ridiculous so we have no reason to think it might exist.

If aliens are using warp drive it'll almost certainly be different than anything we could think of today.

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