Gravitational Waves with Dr Jess McIver

We now have a new way of observing the universe. Over a century ago, Einstein’s seminal work on the theory of general relativity predicted the existence of gravitational waves which are ripples within the very fabric of the universe itself. In February of 2016, the existence of gravitational waves was confirmed by measurements made by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. In this episode, I chat with Dr Jess McIver postdoctoral scholar in experimental physics at California Institute of Technology about the basics of general relativity, what gravitational waves actually are, how they’re created, and how did we measure them.