报告题目：Gravitational-wave Astronomy with Terrestrial Interferometers

报 告 人：Stefan Ballmer，Syracuse University

报告时间：2016年5月12日下午4：00

报告地点：理科楼郑裕彤讲堂（理学院报告厅）

报告摘要：On September 14, 2015 the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors observed for the first time ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves. The observed signal suggests that these gravitational waves were caused by two black holes, about 29 and 36 times the mass of the sun, colliding at about half the speed of light. About 3 times the mass of the sun was converted into gravitational wave energy in a fraction of a second. In this talk I will explore the long history of gravitational wave research, highlight the challenges in building and commissioning the detectors capable of delivering this scientific break-through, and discuss what we learned from this first observation in an entirely new field of astronomy. I will conclude with a look at what we can expect from future gravitational wave observatories.