Gravitational-wave laboratory

Follow a compact binary from inspiral to merger and ringdown, then measure its tiny distortion of spacetime.

Binary black holesInspiral

Chirp mass26.1 M☉

GW frequency35 Hz

Separation680 km

True strain1.0×10⁻²¹

Detector waveform — strain vs time

Laser interferometer response

Plus polarisation Cross polarisationVisual deformation is magnified

A growing chirp

Orbiting compact objects radiate energy as gravitational waves. Their orbit shrinks, so the wave’s frequency and amplitude rise rapidly before merger.

Stretch and squeeze

Plus and cross polarisations distort perpendicular directions. An interferometer compares two laser arms to detect the resulting fractional length change.

Reading the waveform

The inspiral reveals the chirp mass. Merger and ringdown probe the strongly curved spacetime around the newly formed compact object.

Model note: This educational quadrupole-inspired model is not numerical relativity. The spacetime grid and detector motion are enormously magnified; the displayed true strain remains on its physical scale.