Abstract
One hundred years after Einstein’s prediction, the LIGO experiment with the two Michelson interferometers in Hanford and Livingston discovered the first gravitational-wave signal from the fusion of two black holes in 2015. Just as Pauli thought in 1930 that “his” neutrino could never be measured experimentally, Einstein believed that the slight rippling of space-time by gravitational waves could never be detected. With this discovery, made possible by an extremely vibration-free positioning of the interferometer mirrors and the use of “squeezed” laser light (with a phase-dependent reduced blur), a new method for studying cataclysmic processes in the universe has emerged in gravitational-wave astronomy.
Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited.
Albert Einstein
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Grupen, C. (2021). Gravitational Waves. In: Neutrinos, Dark Matter and Co.. essentials(). Springer, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32547-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32547-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-32546-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-658-32547-3
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)