Gravitational Sense – Aug 10

When I shake my first at the universe, however benignly, I make gravitational waves — vibrations of spacetime that travel throughout the universe at the speed of light. My personal gravitational waves are far too feeble to detect. However, the spacetime waves of cataclysmic astronomical events (exploding stars, the merger of black holes, and the big bang itself) are relatively mighty. Modern gravitational wave detectors are giving us a new awareness — a new sense — of the cosmos.

Our speaker, Dr. Rana Adhikari, is Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He leads Caltech’s Adhikari Research Group in exploring “experimental gravitational physics,” particulary involving the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, LIGO.