How The Universe Grew Its Ears

Dr. Zsuzsa Marka – Columbia University

Gravitational waves – ripples in space and time – can be emitted by the cosmic dance of a pair of black holes, each a few ten times more massive than our Sun. The frequency of these waves is in the audible band and we use detectors that are in some sense analogous to a human ear – sensitive to all direction around us. Since the prediction of gravitational waves by Einstein in 1916, it took a full century for humanity to detect these elusive waves, due to their miniscule amplitude at far distance.

I will talk about the technological innovations that lead to the first detection of gravitational waves a year ago. I will also discuss how this new technology will revolutionize astronomy and astrophysics in the years to come.