Gravitational-wave astronomy is a new frontier in science. When massive, dense objects spiral into one another, they twist the spacetime around them, sending out waves of spacetime distortion that travel across the universe. Those waves reach us, billions of light years away, as almost inconceivably tiny ripples. By detecting such ripples, we are able to study the distant, dramatic events that created them.

This enormous scientific endeavor has confirmed many aspects of Einstein's theory of general relativity, and it has revealed that the universe is teeming with black holes.

In this talk, Adam Pound, Mathematics at University of Southampton, will discuss the future of gravitational-wave science: detectors in outer space; what happens when a star falls into a black hole a million times heavier; testing just how correct Einstein's theory really is; and how all this relates to the equivalence principle, a cornerstone of relativity.

Dr Pound is a Royal Society Research Fellow with a leading role in the international LISA Consortium's effort to model sources of gravitational waves.

This event will broadcast live on YouTube (UoS Festival) and on Facebook (UoS Engagement). You can contribute to the talk with your thoughts and questions through the chat.

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