EGAD Q&A

What phenomenon in physics was EGAD built to explore?

1. The feasibility of generating and measuring changing gravitational fields in the lab

2. The metric for the spacetime curvature (gravity) associated with centripetal forces of rotating gravitational mass

3. A modified gravitational theory explaining the anomalous deceleration of the two Pioneer Probes and anomalous acceleration experienced by numerous probes receiving a gravitational boost using earth's mass, also known as the Flyby anomaly

4. A dark matter alternative explanation for the anomalous angular velocities of stars in the outer bands of galaxies

5. Correlations between gravitational force observations and the other forces of nature

Have EGAD experiments shed light on the problems and challenges listed previously?

1. Yes, EGAD experimental results show that rapidly rotating (rigid) bodies at non-relativistic angular velocities generate (additive) measurable gravitational fields in the lab

2. Yes, data from 24 EGAD experiments were able to characterize the additive gravitational effects (spacetime curvature) on a stationary observer in proximity to a rotating gravitational body

3. Possibly. By plugging the angular velocity of the Sun into our new gravitational metric equations produced by EGAD, we get results that are in a suggestive range of the measured Pioneer deceleration anomaly. However, a conclusive explanation is difficult because the sun is not a rigid rotating body which allows a non-uniform angular velocity throughout its core (think spinning fluid). In other words, since we can only guess the suns total angular momentum, the margin for error is too great to make a conclusive judgement Inconclusive.

4. Inconclusive. Though leading scientists have plotted galactic band stars and their anomalous orbital velocities, we currently don’t have angular velocity data for the gravitating black holes at the center of these galaxies. We can certainly use the star’s velocities and our metric to infer the central black hole’s rate of spin. But that will only be useful, when our theory/metric is supported by the peer review process.

5. Yes, there is a direct correlation between centripetal forces of a rotating gravitational source mass and the increase in gravitational energy measured by EGAD. This specifically indicates that the electromagnetic and strong force that maintains the atomic and molecular structure of a rigid rotating body are directly associated with the additive gravitational fields measured by EGAD. This information could help lead to a unified field theory.

Can you explain unified field theory in terms most people could relate to?

Consider the vibrations of a piano string. If we divide the piano string into individual segments of a length related to the string’s vibrating wave length and we consider that each segment’s mass contributes to gravity, what happens to gravity when the string is vibrating? Does the gravitational field around the string vibrate as well? That is one of the reasons (there are others) it is so difficult to derive a unified field theory for Einstein’s General Relativity (the theory of the macro and gravity) and Quantum Field Theory (the theory of the micro and the non-gravitational forces). The elementary particles (made up of electromagnetic, strong, and weak force fields) are experimentally verified and represented by QFT (think electrons and quarks). Like the piano string, these particles are vibrating but how is gravity behaving in response? Unlike particles in QFT, most astrophysical observations see gravity as a uniform/static field radiating from the energies of a non-vibrating central mass. Other than recent confirmation of gravitational waves from colliding black holes and neutron stars, scientists have been unable to measure such small degrees of change in the gravitational field. However, Unspace has taken an approach with EGAD that has the potential to infer a relationship between GR and QFT, and, in turn, is hopeful it can help derive a unified field theory.

What practical benefits can EGAD’s discoveries have?

1. The capability to generate changing gravitational fields that are measurable in the lab is a big leap. Physicists no longer need to wait for telescope availability and the unpredictability of astrophysical events.

2. Though the practical opportunities are hard to predict, a unified field theory could unlock doors to new technologies much like QFT and Einstein’s theories of relativity led to transistors, GPS, radar, and optical lasers. But if history has taught us anything, when we unlock nature’s mysteries, we are rewarded with a sense of awe and an inspiration to innovate.  

How does EGAD work?

1. It is composed of four primary systems

   1. A set of gravitational field generators and controls

   2. A torsion balance gravitational field detector

   3. Detector isolation methods (think separation from vibration, atmospheric, and electromagnetic influences)

   4. Data acquisition component

2. We begin by establishing the parameters for each test case. Parameters such as what RPMs we will apply to the gravitational sources masses, distance away from the detector, planar alignment, etc.

3. We start the experiment by rotating the gravitational source masses to the clockwise position for the purpose of delivering an impulse of static gravitational field to the torsion balance detector

4. Next, we use our detector to measure the static gravitational field contributions delivered by the Tungsten source masses

5. We then apply angular acceleration to the Tungsten source masses

6. Next, we use the detector to measure the induced changes in the gravitational field that were a response to the angular momentum applied to the Tungsten source masses in the previous step

7. During these steps, we measure vibrations and electromagnetic fields to characterize how they may be influencing our gravitational measurements

8. Once data capture from the two measurement steps (static and dynamic) is complete, we analyze/post-process the results

9. Finally, we rotate the source masses to the counter clockwise position and repeat the previous steps