The Hanford Long Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Richland, WA
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR THIS FREE VIRTUAL EVENT:
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Dr. Rainer Weiss
Virtual Astronomy Lecture:
Gravitational Wave Astronomy: Current State and Future (A Free, Virtual Lecture)
SPEAKER: Dr. Rainer Weiss, 2017 Nobel Laureate,
CO-HOST: Suffolk County Community College
Registration is required: https://weisstalk.eventbrite.com/
Hamptons Observatory, and co-host Suffolk County Community College, are honored to present a free, virtual lecture by Dr. Rainer Weiss, a Professor Emeritus of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2017, Dr. Weiss won the Nobel Prize in Physics (along with colleagues Kip Thorne and Barry Barish of CalTech) for his work on the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO).
What are gravitational waves? Imagine a pond. Now picture a boat sailing across the pond; the movement of that boat will disturb the water, causing ripples that spread outward, away from the boat. As the size of the boat increases and as its speed increases, the more the water will be disturbed and result in larger ripples or waves. The movement of the boat will also affect other objects in the water, much like the gravitational pull of one celestial object impacts the objects around it. If you think of the universe as that pond and celestial objects like stars as the boats, you'll have a rudimentary understanding of gravitational waves: As the stars move, they cause gravitational ripples or waves, thus disturbing the pond, that is, distorting the space-time fabric that exists around them.
As part of his theory of general relativity, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, but he assumed that they would be impossible to detect from earth and he was correct—correct, that is, until September 14, 2015 when the Laser Interferometric Gravitational Observatory (LIGO) detected the first gravitational waves (they were generated by two black holes that collided about 1.3 billion light years from Earth).
The data collected by LIGO allows us to observe the universe in a unique way and, thus, acquire a better understanding of it and of such events as exploding stars, the collision of black holes, and even the birth of the universe. Without exaggeration, LIGO is revolutionizing the fields of physics and astrophysics. Dr. Weiss will discuss gravitational wave astronomy, its significance to our understanding of the universe, and his vision for the future of this field of science.
While this is a free lecture, donations are appreciated to help support our programs.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS FREE, VIRTUAL EVENT: https://weisstalk.eventbrite.com/
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