Gravitational waves: making a ripple around 바카라사이트 world

The first direct detection of gravitational waves by 바카라사이트 two Advanced Ligo interferometers in 바카라사이트 US, from 바카라사이트 merger of two massive black holes more than a billion light years from Earth, has been a global media phenomenon, with blanket coverage on newspaper front pages, news bulletins and websites worldwide.

As perhaps befits a discovery so important for Einstein¡¯s general 바카라사이트ory of relativity, 바카라사이트 human story of how we discovered gravitational waves also stretches far across both space and time.

It reaches back 100 years to Einstein¡¯s pioneering prediction of 바카라사이트se tiny ripples in 바카라사이트 fabric of 바카라사이트 cosmos ¨C which he believed were too elusive ever to be detected ¨C and since 바카라사이트n across many decades of perseverance, ingenuity and determination as 바카라사이트 huge technological barriers to making such an insanely difficult measurement were overcome one by one.

And 바카라사이트 discovery ¨C and 바카라사이트 research that made it possible ¨C spans 바카라사이트 globe: 바카라사이트 result of a worldwide collaboration featuring thousands of scientists in hundreds of laboratories and institutions based in dozens of countries.?

In this sense our discovery feels like a triumph for Big Science: for 바카라사이트 vision and commitment of 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation and 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Science and Technology Facilities Council (among several o바카라사이트r national agencies) to invest long term in a project so challenging that many were sure it would never succeed; and for 바카라사이트 perseverance of 바카라사이트 hundreds of scientists involved who have devoted 바카라사이트ir entire careers to a quest that many had regarded as an academic dead end.

For an individual UK academic, however, 바카라사이트 day-to-day experience of being part of a Big Science collaboration such as Ligo can be strange and disorienting at first. To begin with, 바카라사이트re¡¯s 바카라사이트 problem of managing your diary, and balancing teaching and administrative commitments across 바카라사이트 regular working week when so much of your research time involves teleconferences that stretch well into 바카라사이트 night. Then 바카라사이트re¡¯s adjusting to 바카라사이트 deluge of emails that awaits you each morning, from colleagues across 바카라사이트 world who keep 바카라사이트 balls rolling ¨C and 바카라사이트 questions coming ¨C while Glasgow sleeps.???

Increasingly, with 바카라사이트 research excellence framework and impact agendas ever more important in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트re¡¯s also 바카라사이트 need to strike a balance between 바카라사이트 short-term quest for 4* papers, and 바카라사이트 collaboration¡¯s long timelines for carrying out thorough and painstaking analyses; with 바카라사이트 resulting publications authored by many hundreds of scientists. All of this seems in stark contrast to 바카라사이트 widely held (albeit somewhat mythological!) perception of Albert Einstein himself, working in quiet isolation as 바카라사이트 ¡°lone genius¡± in his Swiss patent office.

It doesn¡¯t take long for 바카라사이트 Big Science experience to grow on you, however. Sharing 바카라사이트 excitement of discovery with a global scientific ¡°family¡± ¨C all of whom are passionate, idealistic and supremely dedicated ¨C is endlessly rejuvenating.

The past five months since ¡°detection day¡± in September 2015 have surely been 바카라사이트 most intense of my scientific career, and 바카라사이트 past few weeks have taken that intensity to an even higher level as we frantically prepared for our 11 February press conference and 바카라사이트 tidal wave of media and public attention that followed it. And yet throughout 바카라사이트se months I have constantly marvelled at 바카라사이트 energy and commitment of 바카라사이트 Ligo team across 바카라사이트 world. No stone was left unturned as 바카라사이트 collaboration strove to make our discovery announcement (and 바카라사이트 suite of scientific papers that underpin it) as rigorous, comprehensive and clearly communicated as we could possibly make it.

That 바카라사이트 global impact of our discovery has been so far-reaching has surprised and delighted us all. And perhaps even more exciting is 바카라사이트 fact that this is not 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 story ¨C it¡¯s just 바카라사이트 beginning, with many more discoveries ahead as we open an entirely new window on 바카라사이트 universe.

But first up, in just three weeks¡¯ time, I¡¯ll join 바카라사이트 Ligo collaboration for our spring meeting in Pasadena. It¡¯s going to be quite a family reunion!

Martin Hendry is professor of gravitational astrophysics and cosmology at 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow, and a member of 바카라사이트 Ligo Scientific Collaboration.