by Prof. Juan Garcia-Bellido, (IFT-UAM Madrid)

Abstract :

Ten years ago a laser interferometer detected, for the first time in history, a gravitational wave from a distant cataclysmic event associated with the merging of two massive black holes, GW150914. The power emitted in a few milliseconds by that single event is equivalent to 50 times the power of all stars in the observable universe combined. Nowadays we have detected around 300 events similar to GW150914 and a new era has just begun, that of Gravitational Wave Astronomy. With the help of a network of laser interferometers in the USA, Europe, Japan and India, we can locate sources within one square degree in the sky, out to distances billions of light years away. These exquisite and delicate detectors open a new window into the universe, where space-time ripples rather than light (electromagnetic waves) bring us complementary information, and will help us understand the origin and evolution of our universe. I will review the recent gravitational wave detections and how their properties are questioning our understanding of the nature of dark matter and the present rate of expansion of the universe"