BackScientists detect Albert Einstein’s gravitational waves
What scientists detected was the sound of gravitational waves from the merger of two black holesan event that took place more than a billion years ago
Premium
New Delhi: Scientists on Thursday announced the detection of gravitational waves, throwing open a new window to the cosmos and to human understanding of space and time, 100 years after their existence was predicted by Albert Einstein.
The discovery comes after decades of instrument research and development, and the collaborative efforts of around 1,000 scientists, 90 institutions and 15 countries, including India.
The discovery, possibly the biggest scientific breakthrough of the century so far, radically expands the ways in which the cosmos can now be observed and understood.
What scientists detected was the sound of gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes—an event that took place more than a billion years ago. The study of these waves will offer scientists greater insights into the origin of the universe and how planets are created.
“This is the first time a Binary Black Hole system has been directly observed. Up until now, we have been deaf to the universe. Today, we are able to hear gravitational waves for the first time," said David Reitze, executive director, Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), said in Washington.
LIGO is a system of two identical detectors located in Livingstone, Lousiana, and Hanford, Washington, which were constructed to detect tiny vibrations from passing gravitational waves.
The instruments were designed and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with funding from the National Science Foundation.
Reitze explained that the signal had a very specific characteristic—that as time went forward, the frequency of the signal went up. “And what was amazing about this signal was that it is exactly what you would expect that Einstein’s theory of general relativity would project for two big mass of objects like black holes spiralling and merging together," he said.
This first detection came as a result of the gravitational waves produced during the final fraction of a second of the merger of two black holes to produce a single, larger spinning black hole—the Binary Black Hole.
“This collision of two black holes had been predicted but never observed," said an LIGO statement.
“Three solar masses of energy were emitted in gravitational waves. This merger happened 1.3 billion years ago," said Gaby González, LIGO spokesperson.
Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time which can only be caused by massive astronomical events such as neutron stars or black holes orbiting each other so that these waves would finally radiate from them.
These waves, if detected, will carry signatures of their origin, explaining much about the nature of gravity and the origin of the universe.
However, despite the attempts of ground-based experiments to detect them directly, gravitational waves so far had remained elusive.
“This is not just about the detection of gravitational waves. But what’s really exciting is what comes next. Four hundred years ago, Galileo turned the telescope to the sky and opened the era of modern observational astronomy. I think we are doing something equally important here," said Reitze. “I think we are opening a window to the universe, the window of gravitational wave astronomy."
“Gravitational wave is a completely different fundamental force. There are many objects in the universe that do not emit light, such as black holes, dark matter, but they are around and they emit waves. Detecting gravitational waves will open many new branches of science and many more avenues," said Tarun Souradeep, senior professor at Pune-based Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, one of the Indian institutes involved in the research.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
