Multimedia Gallery - XSEDE helped to confirm the discovery of gravitational waves by scientists at LIGO.

August 21, 2016

XSEDE helped to confirm the discovery of gravitational waves by scientists at LIGO.

Scientists used XSEDE software, services and expertise to help verify the detection of gravitational waves -- ripples in the fabric of space-time hypothesized by Albert Einstein a century ago. The landmark discovery announced in early 2016 launched a new era in astrophysics. Here, a technician works on one of LIGO's optics. At each observatory, the 2 1/2-mile long L-shaped LIGO interferometer uses laser light split into two beams that travel back and forth down the arms. The beams are used to monitor the distance between mirrors precisely positioned at the ends of the arms. According to Einstein's theory, the distance between the mirrors will change when a gravitational wave passes by the detector.

Credit: LIGO Laboratory

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