Episode
#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
2:30:12
Published: Mon Aug 23 2021
Description
Barry Barish is a theoretical physicist at Caltech and the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - MUD\WTR: https://mudwtr.com/lex and use code LEX to get 5% off - GiveDirectly: https://givedirectly.org/lex to get gift matched up to $300 - BiOptimizers: http://www.magbreakthrough.com/lex to get 10% off - Four Sigmatic: https://foursigmatic.com/lex and use code LexPod to get up to 60% off - Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off EPISODE LINKS: Barry's Nobel Prize entry: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2017/barish/facts/ Barry's Caltech profile: https://pma.caltech.edu/people/barry-c-barish LIGO's Website: https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/ LIGO's Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIGO PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (08:27) - Early Math and Physics questions (18:02) - Enrico Fermi (24:34) - Birth of the Nuclear Age (29:42) - The Fermi Paradox (34:45) - Gravity (51:28) - Philosophical Implications of General Relativity (58:34) - Detecting Gravitational Waves (1:01:47) - LIGO (1:34:45) - Nobel Prize (1:49:34) - Black Holes (2:01:53) - Space Exploration (2:09:48) - Books (2:18:37) - Advice for young people (2:24:33) - Meaning of life
Chapters
This transcript covers two topics; a sugar-free treat that tastes like dessert and the smallest measurement of gravitational waves caused by cataclysmic events in the universe.
00:00 - 03:49 (03:49)
Summary
This transcript covers two topics; a sugar-free treat that tastes like dessert and the smallest measurement of gravitational waves caused by cataclysmic events in the universe.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Dr. Karl Nadolsky explains why magnesium is important for our bodies and how a new coffee brand he co-founded, Coffee Blocks, contains this mineral while still satisfying our caffeine cravings.
03:49 - 11:21 (07:31)
Summary
Dr. Karl Nadolsky explains why magnesium is important for our bodies and how a new coffee brand he co-founded, Coffee Blocks, contains this mineral while still satisfying our caffeine cravings.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The study of dark matter and dark energy in the last 20-30 years might change the way we see other sources of gravity and black holes.
11:21 - 18:09 (06:48)
Summary
The study of dark matter and dark energy in the last 20-30 years might change the way we see other sources of gravity and black holes. The speaker reflects on early physics and mathematics ideas that sparked their curiosity.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Enrico Fermi was a renowned physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
18:09 - 29:32 (11:22)
Summary
Enrico Fermi was a renowned physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He became somewhat cynical of the human race towards the end of his life and had the insight to use neutrons instead of charged particles to induce radioactivity.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
It is difficult to communicate with extraterrestrial life due to the limitation of speed of light and the uncertainty of expecting the right type of communication.
29:32 - 36:56 (07:24)
Summary
It is difficult to communicate with extraterrestrial life due to the limitation of speed of light and the uncertainty of expecting the right type of communication. There might have been life on Mars, but the existence of intelligent life and the difficulty to communicate with them play a significant role in our understanding of the universe.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
In this episode, the host explains how in one of his papers, Albert Einstein noticed that the formulas for general relativity resembled those of electromagnetism, and proceeded to connect them.
36:56 - 41:34 (04:38)
Summary
In this episode, the host explains how in one of his papers, Albert Einstein noticed that the formulas for general relativity resembled those of electromagnetism, and proceeded to connect them.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The origins of peer review aren't clear, but one of the earliest known instances was in 1752 when Benjamin Franklin and his colleague submitted their electrical experiments to the Royal Society of London, where they underwent scrutiny prior to acceptance for publication.
41:34 - 47:21 (05:46)
Summary
The origins of peer review aren't clear, but one of the earliest known instances was in 1752 when Benjamin Franklin and his colleague submitted their electrical experiments to the Royal Society of London, where they underwent scrutiny prior to acceptance for publication. Peer review wasn't widely used until the mid-twentieth century, when it became a standard part of scientific publishing.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The host poses a ridiculous question about the sensation of riding a gravitational wave and wonders what it would feel like.
47:21 - 51:11 (03:49)
Summary
The host poses a ridiculous question about the sensation of riding a gravitational wave and wonders what it would feel like.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The presence of Earth has an impact on the space-time around it, similar to a ball on a trampoline.
51:11 - 54:42 (03:31)
Summary
The presence of Earth has an impact on the space-time around it, similar to a ball on a trampoline. This distortion of three-dimensional space can be difficult to comprehend.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The detection of gravitational waves depends on incredibly precise measurements, compensating even for the effects of general relativity on satellite signals.
54:44 - 1:02:43 (07:58)
Summary
The detection of gravitational waves depends on incredibly precise measurements, compensating even for the effects of general relativity on satellite signals. Scientists use a network of satellites to triangulate precise measurements of time to detect these waves.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The process of making a quiet or clean room is complicated due to the earth's constant movement, requiring soundproofing to take place in a room within a room to create an isolated environment.
1:02:43 - 1:07:27 (04:44)
Summary
The process of making a quiet or clean room is complicated due to the earth's constant movement, requiring soundproofing to take place in a room within a room to create an isolated environment.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker talks about developing shock absorbers using mechanical engineering and claiming to have made the world's fanciest shock absorbers.
1:07:27 - 1:09:39 (02:11)
Summary
The speaker talks about developing shock absorbers using mechanical engineering and claiming to have made the world's fanciest shock absorbers.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
A team of engineers from MIT and a small company worked together in solving an engineering challenge to make stable tables for microelectronics, which are limited by the table's stability.
1:09:39 - 1:16:44 (07:05)
Summary
A team of engineers from MIT and a small company worked together in solving an engineering challenge to make stable tables for microelectronics, which are limited by the table's stability. It was a precision mechanical engineering problem to enhance microelectronic devices' efficiency.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The biggest vacuum system is at CERN, but the high vacuum where they need really good vacuum is smaller than others.
1:16:44 - 1:19:40 (02:56)
Summary
The biggest vacuum system is at CERN, but the high vacuum where they need really good vacuum is smaller than others. High vacuum measures at 10 to the minus nine torrs, while a vacuum covers a larger range.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The human side of leading a team like LIGO's over a thousand people involves managing egos and buying in to the process in order to achieve a common goal that individuals couldn't achieve alone.
1:19:41 - 1:24:56 (05:15)
Summary
The human side of leading a team like LIGO's over a thousand people involves managing egos and buying in to the process in order to achieve a common goal that individuals couldn't achieve alone.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The discovery and understanding of gravitational waves involved years of experimentation, fixing instrument limitations from failed attempts, and finally, in 2015, the successful detection of two black holes colliding into each other.
1:24:56 - 1:30:03 (05:06)
Summary
The discovery and understanding of gravitational waves involved years of experimentation, fixing instrument limitations from failed attempts, and finally, in 2015, the successful detection of two black holes colliding into each other.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Since the first detection of gravitational waves in 2015, advancements in technology are enabling scientists to turn it into a new kind of astronomy.
1:30:03 - 1:37:24 (07:20)
Summary
Since the first detection of gravitational waves in 2015, advancements in technology are enabling scientists to turn it into a new kind of astronomy. With its continued evolution, gravitational waves can lead us to do a more in-depth study of the universe.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Researchers aim to develop an instrument 10 times better than what currently exists to observe gravitational waves from the earlier universe.
1:37:24 - 1:44:46 (07:21)
Summary
Researchers aim to develop an instrument 10 times better than what currently exists to observe gravitational waves from the earlier universe. This could help provide insight into the asymmetry of matter and antimatter and the origins of the Big Bang.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This episode discusses the engineering behind detecting gravitational waves in space and the use of free masses as sensors.
1:44:47 - 1:50:35 (05:47)
Summary
This episode discusses the engineering behind detecting gravitational waves in space and the use of free masses as sensors. The terminology of binary black hole systems is also explained.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Black holes are usually created when a star is at least three times as big as our sun, but they may also be formed through smaller ones eating each other up or may have been formed during the big bang.
1:50:36 - 1:56:33 (05:56)
Summary
Black holes are usually created when a star is at least three times as big as our sun, but they may also be formed through smaller ones eating each other up or may have been formed during the big bang.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Exploring the potential of black holes to help solve the fundamental problems of physics and bring together the two theories of physics based on quantum mechanics and quantum field theory.
1:56:33 - 2:02:08 (05:35)
Summary
Exploring the potential of black holes to help solve the fundamental problems of physics and bring together the two theories of physics based on quantum mechanics and quantum field theory.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The podcast discusses the potential for interstellar travel and the challenges it presents in terms of gravitational and propulsion systems.
2:02:08 - 2:09:46 (07:37)
Summary
The podcast discusses the potential for interstellar travel and the challenges it presents in terms of gravitational and propulsion systems. It also touches on the idea of settling in Antarctica and creating a vibrant community there with a mix of professions.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker talks about the benefits of reading good literature, specifically Russian literature, during isolation and how it helped him cope with the pandemic.
2:09:46 - 2:14:25 (04:38)
Summary
The speaker talks about the benefits of reading good literature, specifically Russian literature, during isolation and how it helped him cope with the pandemic. He highlights the book "Polyphony" and how it influenced literature tremendously.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The best way to do evil is to believe you are doing good, so it's important to be aware of the cruelty of human nature and indifference.
2:14:25 - 2:19:00 (04:35)
Summary
The best way to do evil is to believe you are doing good, so it's important to be aware of the cruelty of human nature and indifference. It's also valuable to find happiness in small joys of life.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The speaker believes that they were too young to read a certain book at 15 and that it had the effect of curing them from wanting to become a novelist, though they later revisited the book and understand it as an adult.
2:19:00 - 2:28:09 (09:08)
Summary
The speaker believes that they were too young to read a certain book at 15 and that it had the effect of curing them from wanting to become a novelist, though they later revisited the book and understand it as an adult.
Episode#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
A scientist reflects on his contributions to moving science forward and hopes to be remembered as a good role model for how humans should live their lives.
2:28:09 - 2:30:06 (01:57)
Summary
A scientist reflects on his contributions to moving science forward and hopes to be remembered as a good role model for how humans should live their lives. He expresses gratitude for the creation of his instruments and acknowledges the collective effort of humans behind them.