Discovery of Gravitational Waves

“My research interest since 1987 has been in the detection/observation of gravitational waves, their data analysis and the modelling of gravitational wave detectors”, Dhurandhar was quoted as saying.

“In a landmark discovery for physics and astronomy, scientists yesterday said they have glimpsed the first direct evidence of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space-time that Albert Einstein predicted a century ago”. They said the gravitational waves were produced during the final fraction of a second of the merger of two black holes to produce a single, more massive spinning black hole. To this end, Hughes has modeled the “sounds” of a host of astrophysical events, including colliding black holes. One man who leads work at what’s called the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory – or LIGO – station on the Hanford site, has been working on this singular project for almost 30 years.

Albert Einstein predicted the presence of gravitational waves in 1915 with his general theory of relativity-putting forth the idea that space and time can bend and warp. It is not that we just look up and see anymore, like we always have – we actually can listen to the universe now. “We did it”, said California Institute of Technology physicist David Reitze, triggering applause at a packed news conference in Washington, DC.

Gravitational waves sent out from a pair of colliding black holes have been converted to sound waves, as heard in this animation.

The merging of those two black holes is now the focus of the science world.

For the very first time, researchers have managed to hear and record gravitational waves arriving at earth from a distant universe.

Now, with the advent of gravitational wave astronomy, otherwise invisible phenomena, such as the black hole system captured by LIGO, will be accessible.

It’s gravitational waves and as Alex DeMetrick reports, it really does come from a galaxy far away and a long time ago.

The university plans to build a 5,000-square-meter observatory and a new lab occupying more than 10,000 square meters on Fenghuang Mountain in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province.