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Here Come the Waves
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Here Come the Waves

After a clutch of historic detections, gravitational wave researchers have set their sights on some ambitious scientific quarry.

Davide Castelvecchi
Nature, 2018
References: Farr et al. (2017) , Smartt et al. (2017) , Goldstein et al. (2017) , Schutz (1986) , Various Collaborations (2017)
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9

Qualities

  • Scientific
  • Overview
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

An entirely new field of observational astronomy was inaugurated with the operation of gravitational wave observatories in the United States in 2015 and Italy in 2017. Until recently, gravitational forces could only be inferred from the distribution and motion of astronomical objects, but now a new window is opening up on the structure of the universe. Davide Castelvecchi’s overview of the achievements of gravitational wave astronomy to date and its future development is an exciting and approachable introduction to a fascinating new frontier.

Take-Aways

  • In the 1980s, Bernard Schutz theorized that gravitational waves would allow more accurate measurements of distance in the universe.
  • In 2017, scientists measured the gravitational waves originating from the merger of two neutron stars.
  • Ground-based gravitational detectors established the age of gravitational wave astronomy; the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is scheduled to start operating in the 2030s.

About the Author

Davide Castelvecchi is a staff reporter for Nature. He trained as a mathematician, received a doctorate from Stanford University and did post-doctoral work at the University of Paris-Sud at Orsay.

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