Unveiling the Surprising Origins of Gravitational Waves: Dying Stars' Cocoons

Researchers from Northwestern University propose that the turbulent cocoons of debris surrounding dying massive stars could be a new and unexpected source of gravitational waves. Using state-of-the-art simulations, they found that these cocoons can emit detectable gravitational waves within the frequency band that the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) can detect. This suggests that LIGO could potentially detect the first non-binary source of gravitational waves from these cocoons. The researchers call for further investigation into cocoons as a source of gravitational waves, which could provide insights into the inner workings of stars and the properties of jets in stellar explosions.