Understanding Gravitational Waves - a talk by Prof Jeff Murugan Excursions

Understanding Gravitational Waves - a talk by Prof Jeff Murugan

Scientists finally detect gravitational waves and open a new window into the Universe. Join in on the conversation...

Professor Jeff Murugan of the University of Cape Town will be talking about how this one particular prediction in Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity eluded some of the most ingenious detective work until now, and how the collective effort of a team of scientists from 16 different countries eventually verified the existence of gravitational waves. It is a story that started with the cataclysmic collision of two black holes some 1,2 billion light years away, discovered by a lone genius trying to understand the universe and completed by the 40 year-long heroic effort of scientists around the world. In telling this story, Prof. Murugan will elaborate on how our understanding of gravity has evolved from Newton to Einstein to the scientific frontiers of today and how this has shaped our very perception of the Universe we live in.