The 2017 AAO Allison Levick Lecture
https://www.aao.gov.au/public/allison-levick
Breakthrough! The detection of gravitational waves from a neutron star merger
Speaker: Assoc Professor Tara Murphy
On August 17th 2017 the LIGO-Virgo interferometer detected gravitational waves from a neutron star merger in a galaxy 130 million light years away. This was a breakthrough for physics and astronomy. What followed was a
frenzy of activity as astronomers around the world worked to detect electromagnetic radiation with conventional telescopes. After this unprecedented effort the event was detected in gamma-rays, x-rays, visible light and radio waves. I will discuss this incredible scientific result and its implications, including: predictions made by Einstein; the production of gold and other heavy elements; and our understanding of black hole formation. I will also give a 'behind the scenes' perspective of how it happened, and discuss the changes in the way we do science in this era of big astronomy.
When: Monday, October 30, 2017 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Messel Lecture Theatre, Sydney Nanoscience Hub. Physics Road, Camperdown, NSW 2006