A group of Columbia University researchers revealed the findings of an experiment indicating that sound waves may carry gravitational mass in February 2019. During the experiment, scientists discovered that sound waves may produce a small gravitational field.
“Calculations show that sound waves have a little negative mass, meaning that when they pass through a gravitational field like the Earth’s, their path bends upward. According to the story, “scientists have found that sound waves emit a small gravitational field.”
For a long time, scientists believed that sound waves could only convey energy, not mass. According to Phys.org, the researchers unearthed data that contradicted their previous results.
According to the researchers, sound waves travelling through superfluid helium have a little amount of mass. They proved it theoretically, but they didn’t measure the amount of mass transported by the sound wave.
They discovered that as phonons (quasiparticles) interact with the gravitational field, they impart mass to the substance they pass through. Scientists show that the same results apply to the majority of the components in their present investigation.
Methods for putting research results to the test in the real world have been proposed by researchers. One option is to use gravity-detecting sensors to study earthquakes. As the earthquake transmits sound throughout the world, the devices may detect “billions of kilos of mass” transported by the sound.
In the year 2020, scientists created an algorithm to detect seismic impulses that cause gravity to deform, altering the density of rocks for a brief period of time. Light-speed signals are sent out by these fluctuations in gravity, allowing earthquakes to be detected even before they do damage.
National Geographic / How earthquakes create waves inside the Earth
The revelation that phonons had negative mass and, as a result, negative gravity was hypothesized by the same group of scientists a year previously.
Michio Kaku, co-founder of string theory, adds, “It turns out that under some conditions, sound waves may really start to climb rather than fall.” And this anomaly appears to be in accordance with physical laws, since certain vibrations can really fall up rather than down.
This find, according to ancient civilizations scholars, indicates how ancient humans transported big stones. It’s likely that they used sound waves and vibrations to accomplish this.
According to legend, sound had a part in the creation of large structures like Egypt’s pyramids, which were built utilizing exact frequency sounds.
Scientists believe that one day they will be able to understand the mystery of sound waves and, as a result, design a system capable of moving massive objects.