Gravitational Waves

In Our Time: Science

BBC

History

4.5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2007

⏱️ 42 minutes

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Summary

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss mysterious phenomena called Gravitational Waves in contemporary physics. The rather un-poetically named star SN 2006gy is roughly 150 times the size of our sun. Last week it went supernova, creating the brightest stellar explosion ever recorded. But among the vast swathes of dust, gas and visible matter ejected into space, perhaps the most significant consequences were invisible – emanating out from the star like the ripples from a pebble thrown into a pond. They are called Gravitational Waves, predicted by Einstein and much discussed since, their existence has never actually been proved but now scientists may be on the verge of measuring them directly. To do so would give us a whole new way of seeing the cosmos. But what are gravitational waves, why are scientists trying to measure them and, if they succeed, what would a gravitational picture of the universe look like?With Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey; Carolin Crawford, Royal Society Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge; Sheila Rowan, Professor in Experimental Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thanks for down learning the In Our Time podcast. For more details about In Our Time and for our terms of use, please go to BBC.co.uk.
0:10.0	I hope you enjoy the programme.
0:12.0	Hello, the rather unpoetically named Star, SN 2006 GY, is roughly 150 times the size of our
0:20.0	sun.
0:21.0	On Monday of last week it went supernova, creating the biggest stellar
0:24.7	explosion ever recorded. But among the vast sways of dust, gas, and visible matter
0:30.1	ejected into space, perhaps the most significant consequences were invisible,
0:34.9	emanating out from the star like the ripples from a pebble thrown into a pond.
0:39.2	These are called gravitational waves.
0:41.5	They're run through the fabric of space-time itself, and have it been predicted by
0:45.1	Einstein nearly a hundred years ago, we may be on the verge of proving they exist.
0:49.9	But what are gravitational waves?
0:51.7	Why a scientist trying to measure them? And if they succeed, what would
0:54.7	a gravitational picture of the universe look like? With me to discuss gravitational waves of Jim
0:59.4	Alkalili, professor of physics at the University of Surrey, Caroline Crawford, Royal Society
1:03.9	reverse fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, and Sheila Rowan Professor in
1:07.6	Experimental Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of
1:11.1	Glasgow.
1:12.1	Jim Alcalini,, gravitational waves were first British by Einstein's theory of general relativity
1:18.1	published in 1916, following up on his paper on special relativity published in 1905
1:23.8	can you just tell us how those two papers
1:26.2	affected the then going notion of gravity
	...

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