Credit: Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology and South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO)
An international team of astronomers led by Swinburne University of Technology has unveiled the most intricate maps of gravitational waves throughout the universe.
This groundbreaking research has resulted in the creation of the largest galactic-scale gravitational wave detector ever built. It has also provided further confirmation of a “background” presence of gravitational waves – imperceptible yet incredibly swift ripples in space that hold the key to unraveling profound mysteries about our cosmos.
These three studies offer fresh perspectives on the universe’s massive black holes, their influence on cosmic evolution, and the intricate cosmic structures they have left behind.
Dr. Matt Miles, lead author on two papers and a researcher at OzGrav and Swinburne, emphasized that this research paves new avenues for comprehending our vast universe.
“Exploring this background enables us to tap into reverberations from cosmic events spanning billions of years,” Dr. Miles elaborated. “It unveils how galaxies and the universe itself have transformed over time.”
The study also detected additional signals from merging supermassive black holes through gravitational waves – capturing a signal more potent than previous global experiments in just one-third of the time.
2024-12-02 21:15:03
Post sourced from phys.org