The playground swing and the physics of perfect timing
How quartz crystals keep the modern world on time
From acoustic instruments to quantum technology
YOUR GOAL
Master of Good vibrations and the science of resonators
007skaty Bouncing laser beams amplify cosmic signals inside gravitational wave detectors.
007skaty In 2015, LIGO detected gravitational waves by bouncing lasers thousands of times between highly reflective mirrors in vacuum
007skaty Tune different frequencies to discover how resonance connects musical instruments to quantum technology.
Space ripples: The LIGO observatory uses 4-kilometer-long optical resonators to detect gravitational waves from colliding black holes.
An apparatus or system that naturally oscillates at specific frequencies with greater amplitude than at others. Hermann von Helmholtz designed acoustic resonators in 1863, laying the groundwork for today's quantum-level devices.
What physical movement do MEMS resonators inside smartphones perform to detect orientation?
What temperature range is required for superconducting quantum resonators to operate?
Which particles are trapped inside superconducting quantum resonators to store quantum states?
How long are the vacuum cavities used as optical resonators in the LIGO detectors?
What natural object is traditionally used as the resonator body for the West African kora?