In a follow-up talk to Rainer Weiss’s recent lecture on LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, I provide a basic introduction to gravitational waves, show how they arise from elementary considerations in any modern theory of gravity, demonstrate how they are generated in black hole mergers and explain why gravitational wave detectors need to be extraordinarily sensitive. The theoretical part of the talk requires an undergraduate background in electromagnetism.
Tony Rothman joined the faculty of NYU Tandon in 2016, after having previously taught at Princeton and Harvard universities. He received a PhD in physics from University of Texas, Austin, where he studied at the Center for Relativity Theory. His research has focused on general relativity and cosmology, in which he has made contributions to the study of the early universe and black hole physics. He is also the author of twelve books for the general public, both fiction and nonfiction.
Cookies and Coffee at 4:00