Contact Info
Department of Applied Mathematics
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 32700
Fax: 519-746-4319
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader
General relativity describes gravity in terms of the curvature of space time. A gravitational wave is a fluctuation (a ripple) in the curvature that propagates as a wave, travelling at the speed of light, and transferring energy.
General relativity predicts that gravitational waves will be generated by massive accelerating objects, for example a binary star system (two stars orbiting about their common centre-of-mass). You can think of gravitational waves as being analogous to electromagnetic waves, which are generated by accelerating charges.
Gravitational waves have only been detected indirectly so far: detailed observations of the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar (a binary star system containing a pulsar, i.e. a rapidly rotating neutron star) show that the system is losing energy as time passes, which is attributed to the emission of gravitational waves. A number of ambitious experiments using laser interferometry are underway to detect gravitational waves. The images below give a glimpse of what is involved.
The effect of a plus-polarized gravitational wave on a ring of particles.
The effect of a cross-polarized gravitational wave on a ring of particles.
A schematic diagram of a laser interferometer.
Contact Info
Department of Applied Mathematics
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2L 3G1
Phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 32700
Fax: 519-746-4319
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within our Office of Indigenous Relations.