Author: Kwangho Park

First Detection of Light and Gravitational Waves from Double Neutron Stars

 

Gravitational waves and light was observed for the first time!

On August 17, 2017 a new era in multi-messenger Astronomy has begun with gravitational waves and light combining forces to make powerful new discoveries.  LIGO, Virgo and a world-wide array of electromagnetic telescopes detected a Double Neutron star system with both gravitational wave and electromagnetic emission.  On October 16, 2017, the the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Virgo Collaboration, and its partners announced the first observation of gravitational-waves from a pair of inspiraling neutron stars. 

This  is an incredible moment in astronomy, providing new insights about the engines that power our universe. One long standing problem was solved, this detection proves that the merger of neutron stars cause Gamma Ray Bursts!

A new intrigue has arisen since the Gamma Ray Burst appears dimmer than typical at the location of the neutron star merger – is it beamed and we are not looking down the beam of gamma rays?

 

See http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/10/16/scientists-make-first-detection-neutron-star-collision for the full story!

The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 with one half to

Rainer Weiss
LIGO/VIRGO Collaboration

and the other half jointly to

Barry C. Barish
LIGO/VIRGO Collaboration

and

Kip S. Thorne
LIGO/VIRGO Collaboration

“for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”

https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2017/press.html