Einstein's Waves

On February 11th 2016, something truly remarkable was announced to the world - the detection of gravitational waves from two colliding back holes. Described as one of the greatest discoveries of the century, it confirmed a prediction made by Albert Einstein himself, exactly one hundred years ago. In this talk, I will describe why this really is a big deal, what it means for physics and astronomy, and what we might have to look forward to in the future. The story will take us to some interesting places, involving lasers, super-precise experiments, and, of course, the black holes themselves.

With the recent detection of gravitational waves, we are embarking on a new era of gravitational wave astronomy. What does it take to make gravitational waves? What objects in our universe fit these specifications? And how do we know what we are looking at in the detectors? In this talk Emma will take you on a gravitational wave journey from creation to detection and will provide an insight into the future of gravitational wave astronomy.

When large molecules and nanoparticles are trapped and cooled in vacuum, it becomes possible to test the limitations of quantum theory such as predicted by collapse models and eventually the interplay between quantum theory and gravity. The phenomenon of coherence and its role in the transition from the quantum world to the everyday raises many questions about the nature of the universe and the possibilities of theories of everything.