Giovedì 23 Giugno - ore 16:30 - Seminario di Dipartimento - Michele Vallisneri - GW150914: LIGO's First Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger

Luogo: Aula Newton Plesso Fisico

Relatore: Michele Vallisneri -  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena

E-mail organizzaotore: raffaella.burioni@fis.unipr.it

Abstract:

On September 14, 2015, the two LIGO detectors simultaneously observed a

transient gravitational-wave signal, which was named GW150914. The signal

matched the waveform predicted by general relativity for the inspiral and

merger of a pair of black holes and the ringdown of the merged remnant

black hole. This was the first direct detection of gravitational waves and

the first observation of a binary black hole merger. I describe the

mechanics of the detection, its astrophysical implications, and the tests

of general relativity that can be performed with the signal. I also

discuss results from the entirety of Advanced LIGO’s first observing run.