This is my first post here, so bear with me!
I have a question about how exactly gravity propagates, both in GR and in superstring theory. In trying to investigate this question, I am encountering conflicting information and am left somewhat confused.
In
this page it seems to suggest that experiment tells us that the "speed" of gravity seems be much faster than light. The conclusion there is:
Conclusion: The speed of gravity is 2x10^10 c
However, when I read
this page I see:
In general relativity, on the other hand, gravity propagates at the speed of light; that is, the motion of a massive object creates a distortion in the curvature of spacetime that moves outward at light speed.
Or
in this article a researcher states, "Our main goal was to rule out an infinite speed for gravity, and we did even better. We now know that the speed of gravity is probably equal to the speed of light, and we can confidently exclude any speed for gravity that is over twice that of light"
What is the currently accepted answer to this, or is it "We aren't sure" at this point?
Now when it comes to superstring theory (of which I also understand little), the graviton is one of the predicted particles yielded by string resonance. If gravity is transmitted by the graviton, is that not subject to the light speed limit? Does string theory contradict GR anyway and claim that mass does not warp space-time, or in other ways?
Thanks in advance everyone!
This message has been edited by BuckeyeChris, 07-20-2005 02:40 AM
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