About this Event
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) consists of two 4-km gravitational-wave detectors in Hanford, WA and Livingston, LA, along with the 3-km Virgo detector near Pisa, Italy. These three detectors use laser interferometry to measure tiny ripples in space-time caused by passing gravitational waves from cataclysmic cosmic sources. To date fifty gravitational-wave signals have been detected, all from the merger of black holes and neutron stars. These observations are transforming our understanding of our universe. In this talk Dr Nuttall will discuss what gravitational waves are, the challenges of detecting them and the exciting astrophysics we have uncovered.
This public talk will take place online, with the link being emailed to registered attendees 48 hours before the event.
If you have any accessibility requirements to assist your viewing of this event (e.g. closed captioning, screen readable digital copies of slides in advance) please contact us so we can discuss this with you further.
About the speaker
Laura Nuttall is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and a senior lecturer in gravitational waves at the University of Portsmouth. She has been researching gravitational waves in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration for over a decade.
About virtual Pompey
This event is part of Virtual Pompey Stargazing 2021, a week-long programme of online astronomy events and activities organised by the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth, in collaboration with the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
Date And Time : Sun, 31 Jan 2021, 23:30 – Mon, 1 Feb 2021, 00:30 IST
