Testing small scale gravitational wave detectors with dynamical mass distributions

The recent discovery of gravitational waves by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration created renewed interest in the investigation of alternative gravitational detector designs, such as small scale resonant detectors. In this article, it is shown how proposed small scale detectors can be tested by generating dynamical gravitational fields with appropriate distributions of moving masses. A series of interesting experiments will be possible with this setup. In particular, small scale detectors can be tested very early in the development phase and tests can be used to progress quickly in their development. This could contribute to the emerging field of gravitational wave astronomy.