1650 - Adding a Cosmic Soundtrack

Author / Creator

AAPT WM21 (2021)

Conferences

AAPT WM21 A2.7 Physics and Experimental Research on Black Holes (2021)

Available as

Online

Summary

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the first detection of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger, the LIGO and Virgo detectors have collected an impressive census of compact binar...

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the first detection of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger, the LIGO and Virgo detectors have collected an impressive census of compact binary mergers in the local universe. By the end of the second observing run in August 2017 the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration claimed a total of 10 binary black hole mergers and one binary neutron star merger. The third observing run spanned April 2019 through March 2020, during which the collaborations alerted the astronomical community of 56 merger candidates.  Thus far, the exceptional events announced by the collaboration include GW190425, GW190412, GW190814, and GW190521. I will present some of what this cosmic soundtrack has taught us about black holes in particular over the last five years, and what may lie ahead.

Show More