Physics Colloquium with Scott Hughes: Opening the Gravitational-Wave Window
A physics colloquium, “Opening the Gravitational-Wave Window,” by Scott Hughes, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. in 124 Hasbrouck.
Einstein’s theory of general relativity provides us with our modern understanding of gravitation, incorporating the principles of relativity into gravity. A consequence of this incorporation is that gravity must radiate: accelerating masses generate gravitational waves in the same way that accelerating charges generate electromagnetic waves. Gravity’s relative weakness means that this radiation couples very weakly to matter; the effects of these waves are thus subtle and difficult to measure. A newly developed network of detectors is now on the cusp of being able to measure these waves from violent astrophysical processes; future improvements and the development of space-based detectors promise to make such measures routine.
Presented in this talk will be the basics of gravitational-wave physics, describing the properties of the radiation, how it is generated by accelerating masses, and how it may be measured by its tidal imprint. In addition, Hughes will mention detectors that are currently operating, as well as plans for future upgrades and for space-based detectors.
There will be refreshments available at 3:40 p.m.