Gravity Wave Lab
Model a chirp
through detector noise.
This lab is separate from the CERN pages. It teaches the basic logic of an interferometer and a source Chirp: a rising sweep so faint that the wave's Strain can hide inside detector noise. Lower the noise and raise the sensitivity until the Signal-to-noise ratio lifts the chirp clear.
Instrument console
Interferometer, waveform, and controls side by side.
Heavy binaries make a stronger, lower-pitched chirp that rises quickly near merger.
This schematic emphasizes beam splitting, arm imbalance, and recombination without requiring WebGL.
About the source
Heavier systems create a lower and stronger sweep before the signal rushes toward merger.
About the detector
The chirp is present, but detector noise and limited sensitivity are still competing with it.
Next step
Compare two source presets. The easiest way to understand chirps is to hear and see how mass changes the sweep.
The displayed waveform keeps the real inspiral sweep shape but compresses its cycle count for readability, and the model uses a single flat noise floor where real detector noise depends on frequency. The frequency and strain readouts preserve the modeled physical relationships.
Sources
Where this preset comes from.
- 01
LIGO gravitational-wave basics
https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/MIT/page/gravitational-wavesOfficial LIGO outreach material explaining what gravitational waves are and how the observatory studies them.
- 02
LIGO GW150914 press release
https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/MIT/page/press-release-gw150914Official release used for the first directly observed gravitational-wave event from a binary black-hole merger.
- 03
GWOSC event catalog
https://gwosc.org/eventapi/html/GWTC/Official Gravitational Wave Open Science Center catalog used to distinguish simplified presets from research-grade event data.
Guided tour
Continue the path
Four steps: follow the beam, see the aftermath, compare with spacetime signals, then test your intuition.
- 01 · Visited
Follow the beam
Start with the injector chain so the rest of the site follows a physical sequence.
Open - 02 · Visited
See the collision aftermath
See which detectors catch which particles after a collision.
Open - 03 · You are here
Compare with spacetime signals
Switch to gravitational waves: tune mass, distance, and noise to find the signal.
Open - 04 · Next
Test your intuition
Short quizzes on accelerator ordering, detector choice, and signal tuning.
Open