Friday evening plenary – gravitational waves

Friday 9 March, 5:45 – 6:45
The Universe in HD, Surround Sound, and Smell-o-vision, or Gravitational Waves and the Future of Astronomy
Paul T. Baker, Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University

abstract:
Gravitational waves provide a completely new way to observe the universe. The first direct detections of GWs have already revolutionized astrophysics. LIGO has uncovered a new population of stellar mass black holes and observed for the first time the merger of two neutron stars. We will review some recent gravitational wave detections made by LIGO, and discuss how GWs complement electromagnetic (light) and astro-particle observations to give us a more complete understanding of the universe.

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