McGill.CA / Science / Department of Physics

Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Gravitational Wave Astronomy with LIGO

Julien Sylvestre

MIT

I will review in this talk the essential physics of the detection of gravitational waves. This will consist first of an overview of the interferometric detectors that are presently being commissionned by the LIGO project. I will then focus on the most promising astronomical sources of gravitational radiation, and on the exciting physics they will allow to test. I will also briefly discuss aspects of the data analysis that are especially relevant for these sources.

Thursday, November 1st 2001, 12:00
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, room 305