Comunicazione
On the singular behavior of spinning disks and merging black holes.
Conidi F., De Luca A., Mercuri A., Meringolo D. D., Sposato M., Barberi R. C., Pucci G.
We highlight the analogy between the signals produced by two disparate physical phenomena: the merging of two orbiting celestial bodies and the spinning of a disk. We develop a low-cost experimental setup for measuring the mechanical vibrations a metallic disk produces by spinning on a plastic sheet. Image analysis allows us to relate the sheet vibration to the disk motion. Similarly to the gravitational signal produced by the astrophysical system, the sheet vibration is characterized by amplitude and frequency increasing in time, ending with a singular behavior and a ringdown. The simplicity of our experimental setup makes it ideal for illustrative purposes. Finally, a theoretical comparison between the two systems is developed to help understand the origin of the signal analogy.