Uncovering Einstein's New Universe: From Wallal to Gravitational Wave Astronomy

Description

Einstein gave us a vision of a new universe in which time and space are warped and rippling in response to everything else in the universe. Vast bursts of energy in the form of ripples of pure and empty space are passing through us at light speed, carrying messages about a dying universe and about the places where space, time and matter all cease to exist. It took a century of struggle to understand Einstein's prophesy. Einstein doubted his predictions, and eventually, it took 1000 physicists to detect his greatest prophecy of all, gravitational waves. The definitive proof of Einstein's new universe began with donkey trains and sailing ships at Wallal in 1922. A century of struggle by an array of eccentric and determined scientists brought us to the era of gravitational wave astronomy where our detectors, like bionic ears, have given us a brand new sense, an ability to hear across the vast scale of the universe. This book tells the international story from an Australian perspective, from the Wallal Expedition, instigated by Alexander Ross of the University of Western Australia, to the Australia-wide team that participated in the discovery of gravitational waves and continues to lead national efforts in gravitational wave discovery.