2017 Physics Nobel Prize Overview Colloquium with Yuri Shylnov, Tom Roberts, and Sally Laurent-Muehleisen

Speakers: Yuri Shylnov, Tom Roberts, and Sally Laurent-Muehleisen

The 2017 Physics Nobel Prize was awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, and Kip Thorne for "decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves." At Illinois Tech Physics on November 9, we will hold a 3-part, hour-long colloquium to overview the astounding recent accomplishments in gravity wave detection that led to the well-deserved recognition of these physicists. Senior Lecturer Yuri Shylnov will begin the discussion with a theoretical overview of the concept of gravity waves and how they are described and predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity. Research Professor Tom Roberts will then describe the laser interferometry technique utilized by the LIGO and VIRGO collaborations to obtain their exquisite precision in searching for gravity waves in the universe. Finally, Adjunct Professor Sally Laurent-Muehleisen will overview the far-reaching implications of gravity wave detection for astronomy and stellar and nuclear astrophysics, including discussion of the recent LIGO-enabled first-ever detection of a neutron star—neutron star merger.