The Remarkable Story of LIGO's Detection of Gravitational Waves
February 23, 2016 - 4:00pm
Speaker:
Peter Shawhan
Institution:
UMD
On February 11, LIGO scientists announced the direct detection of gravitational
waves, confirming a century-old prediction of Einstein's general theory of
relativity. This milestone fulfills a dream which started here on the UMD
campus with Joseph Weber, and was finally made possible with the incredibly
sensitive Advanced LIGO detectors, combined with a certain measure of luck. I
will share both the scientific meaning of the discovery and some of the personal
stories behind it.
PSC Lobby
College Park, MD 20742