公众讲座系列丨第十五讲 引力波：感知宇宙的新窗口

讲座内容

Abstract

    In 1916, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves: vibrations of spacetime that travel throughout the universe at the speed of light. These vibrations are produced by the most cataclysmic events in the universe; exploding stars, the mergers of black holes, and the big bang itself. The waves travel unimpeded throughout the universe and offer a unique picture of these wonderful astrophysical laboratories. 

    For several decades, it was imagined that these waves either did not exist or were too weak to ever detect. For the last 45 years, teams of scientists have been developing a series of ever more sensitive detectors to be able measure these spacetime distortions from as far away as hundreds of millions of light years. A pair of 4 km long laser interferometers has now opened this new window on the universe. I will describe how our understanding of the quantum physics of the very, very small has allowed us to explore gravitational physics of the very, very large.