Wave Network in Science City Tracks Seismic Activity from Volksparkstadion.
More than 100,000 fans attended Taylor Swift’s sold-out concerts at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion on July 23 and 24. The pop star’s performances attracted not only her dedicated fans, but also the attention of researchers from the “Wave” network in Science City, Bahrenfeld. This unique fibre-optic sensor network allows scientists to monitor underground vibrations with great precision. During the concerts, vibrations generated by the excited audience were streamed live to test the network’s capabilities. These “Swiftquakes” are small tremors, similar to those caused by a passing large vehicle, but instead created by thousands of people dancing.
“We wanted to use Taylor Swift’s concerts to demonstrate how the Wave network operates and the type of data it can provide,” said Prof. Dr. Oliver Gerberding, Professor of Gravitational Wave Detection at Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld. The concert signals were recorded in the stadium, just two kilometres away, and streamed live. “Geophysicists have already measured waves from Taylor Swift concerts in different countries, but Science City’s measurement network offers unique resolution,” added Prof. Dr. Céline Hadziioannou, Professor of Seismology at the University of Hamburg (UHH). The network’s 19 kilometres of fibre optic cable and around 19,000 sensors enable it to track vibrations and ground movements over extensive areas.
The “Wave” network also utilizes facilities like the “PETRA III” accelerator and the European XFEL X-ray laser on the Bahrenfeld campus and at DESY. Together, these resources create a unique infrastructure for research in geophysics, physics, and large-scale science projects. The network can also monitor groundwater levels and temperatures, and it is used for gravitational wave detection experiments as part of UHH’s “Quantum Universe” Cluster of Excellence.
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