Location
Physics : 401
Date & Time
April 27, 2016, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Description
TITLE: The Wave of the Future
ABSTRACT: On September 14, 2015, gravitational waves were detected directly for the first time. This event, and the promise of much more to come as detectors improve their sensitivity, has inaugurated a new era of astronomy, with a brand-new messenger from some of the most energetic events in the universe. The characterization of such events will facilitate unprecedented tests of general relativity, and the high black hole masses in the announced event have already had important consequences for binary stellar evolution theory. I will discuss the nature of the first detection and will speculate about what is to come, including the prospects for electromagnetic counterparts.
ABSTRACT: On September 14, 2015, gravitational waves were detected directly for the first time. This event, and the promise of much more to come as detectors improve their sensitivity, has inaugurated a new era of astronomy, with a brand-new messenger from some of the most energetic events in the universe. The characterization of such events will facilitate unprecedented tests of general relativity, and the high black hole masses in the announced event have already had important consequences for binary stellar evolution theory. I will discuss the nature of the first detection and will speculate about what is to come, including the prospects for electromagnetic counterparts.