What are Gravitational Waves?
Not only do gravitational waves represent the ultimate confirmation of the theory of General Relativity, they will provide us with a new way to see the cosmos. But what are these ripples in spacetime and where do they come from?
Whilst it may not have the snappiest name, the event
GW150914 is pretty significant in terms of our understanding of the Universe. This event, with a name that includes ‘GW’ as a prefix which is an abbreviation of ‘Gravitational Wave’ and the date of observation–15/09/14– marked humanity’s first direct detection of gravitational waves.
This was groundbreaking on two fronts; firstly it successfully confirmed a prediction made by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity almost a century before. A prediction that stated events occurring in the Universe do not just warp spacetime, but in certain cases, can actually send ripples through this cosmic fabric.