The concept of Gravitational Waves was first introduced by Albert Einstein through his general theory of relativity. In the widespread research on the matter which would extend to nearly a century, 2015 emerged as a historic year in Physics when a team of scientists would discover the existence of the same, thereby making Albert Einstein’s prediction a true one. It was this legendary finding that would grant three among the team their Nobel Prize win in 2017.
Gravitational Waves as the name indicates are “ripples” that are caused when cataclysmic events occur which result in a disruption in space and time. The first positive evidence on the existence of Gravitational Waves were supposedly found in the 70s when two physicists Russell A. Hulse and Joseph H. Taylor, Jr discovered a pulsar (resembling a cosmic beacon) which was seemingly accompanied by another which is unusual as far as some theories in Physics goes. The discovery indicated that the occurrence results in a certain loss of energy in the form of Gravitational Waves. The duo would later on receive a Nobel Prize for their discovery in 1993.
In 2015, a large team of scientists and researchers from Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), MIT and Caltech managed to detect Gravitational Waves emitted from two colliding Black Holes. This was achieved using LIGO’s Interferometer. The observation of the Gravitational Waves awarded Rainer Weiss, Kip S. Thorne and Barry C. Barish the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017. The discovery is significant for future findings associated with Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity alongside providing new perspectives to approaching the Universe and all the possibilities it contains. While researches are underway on the recent discoveries on Gravitational waves, it is highly likely that the current technology will soon be developed so as to both see and hear such occurrences in a better manner.
