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The dawn of gravitational wave astronomy
Thu Mar 31, 18:00 - Thu Mar 31, 20:00
Truth Coffee Roasting
ABOUT
Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by massively energetic processes like colliding black holes, or coalescing neutron stars. Albert Einstein predicted gravitational waves in his General Theory of Relativity, just over a century ago. It’s only in the last few months that we’ve finally detected gravitational waves and have “heard” the collision of two black holes, heralding the dawn of a new age of astronomy.At this month’s science café, we welcome mathematical physicist Prof. Jeff Murugan. He’ll be talking about our journey to the discovery of gravitational waves and how this will impact our understanding of the universe.
You can hear the sound of black holes colliding on the LIGO website
OUR SPEAKER
Jeff Murugan
Jeff Murugan is a mathematical physicist at the University of Cape Town. He heads the Laboratory for Quantum Gravity & Strings (QGASLAB), a dynamic young research group that brings together researchers in string theory, quantum gravity and cosmology. His research focuses on emergent phenomena, from spacetime to the neurophysics of the brain. He is married to noted South African cosmologist Prof. Amanda Weltman and they are the proud parents of two wonderful boys and two slightly above average dogs. You can find about more about Jeff on his website.
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The dawn of gravitational wave astronomy
Truth Coffee Roasting
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