Prof. David Reitze, LIGO Laboratory, Caltech

"Gravitational-wave Astrophysics: A Little Bit of Everything"

Abstract: Starting with the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015, gravitational-wave astrophysics has produced some stunning insights into the high energy universe. Thanks to recent advances in gravitational-wave detectors, gravitational waves have become both a well-established and unique tool for observing some of the most cataclysmic events in the cosmos.

This talk will cover many of the wide-ranging elements that comprise gravitational-wave science, ranging from the fundamentals of gravitational waves and what they have revealed about the universe to the exquisitely sensitive detectors that have been built to search for them. Time permitting, we'll take a look at the next generation of gravitational-wave observatories being planned for the next decade.