Jovian planets as co-detectors of gravitational waves

Abstract

Acoustic oscillations in stars can be driven by gravitational waves. However, at present it is not feasible to use the helioseismology data for their detection, since it is impossible to disentangle the uncertain driving contributions originating in the Sun itself. We here point out that any such wave will affect also Jupiter and Saturn in a similar $and$ $coordinated$ $way$; after all, they are mostly spheres of gas like the Sun, only one order of magnitude smaller. Hence, akin to the concept of coincidence detection in particle physics experiments, evaluation of the time-correlation function of the measured acoustic velocities of the same mode of oscillation of any two of these three objects will eliminate the (independent) internal effects; and observation of a peak in that correlation function will be tantamount to detection of a gravitational wave. There is a (slight) possibility that such detection has already occured.