Gravitational Wave Detection with Advanced LIGO ~ Professor Matt Evans (MIT)

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) made its first detection of gravitational waves in 2015; minute distortions in space-time caused by cataclysmic events far away in the universe.  Matt will talk about the sources of the signals we detect, the physics behind the detectors, and the prospects for the future of this emerging field. A significant portion of this presentation will be open to questions from the audience.  Matt will be talking from the LIGO Livingstone facility and we will conduct the meeting via video Skype.