Until 2015 almost all of our information about the Universe came from our analysis of the electromagnetic radiation received at Earth. But on 14th September 2015 a new window was opened on the Universe: the first gravitational wave on Earth was detected.
These waves, predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, are gravitational perturbations that propagate at the speed of light (300,000 kilometers per second), and allow us to get information about the mysteries of the Universe, such as black holes, neutron stars, energy and dark matter. It is also conceivable that these waves may give us information about the Holy Grail of modern physics: the quantum gravity.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO), a multimillion-dollar experience was designed in 1960 and began to be built in the 1990s. In 2015, LIGO’s two interferometers achieved their first detection of a gravitational wave that was presumably generated about 1.3 billion years ago. A new detection of a gravitational wave was confirmed and it is expected the announcement of new detection soon.
Europe doesn’t want to be left behind in this “new era”of Astrophysics, which will revolutionise our understanding of the Cosmos as never before. In this way, the European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing an ultra modern version of LIGO – LISA. LISA is a gravitational wave detector that will fly in space, and it will be much more sensitive than LIGO. Portugal is part of LISA consortium, which is expected to start operating in 2029.
Europe created a consortium under Horizon 2020 to study black holes and gravitational waves. Professor Vítor Cardoso from Instituto Superior Técnico will lead this consortium, which will be composed of one hundred European scientists and more than 20 countries. Professor Carlos Herdeiro from Universidade de Aveiro will be the responsible for promoting the image of the consortium.
We expect to better understand the mechanism of gravitational wave production and the evolution of black holes in the coming years. But, above all, we expect the unexpected.
