Gravitational waves

Gravitational waves are vibrations in the very fabric of space-time.

According to Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, massive objects, such as planets, stars or black holes, can warp the space-time around them.

When extreme cosmic events occur, such as the merger of two black holes or the explosion of a supernova, these warpings propagate in the form of ripples, like ripples in a pond.

Gravitational waves are very weak and difficult to detect, but when we do, they provide valuable information about violent cosmic events and allow us to study the universe in a completely new way.

They also confirm the existence of black holes and help us to better understand the structure and evolution of the cosmos.

Kip Thorne was one of the pioneers of gravitational wave research and has worked hard to develop theories and technologies to detect and study gravitational waves.

He was one of the founders of the Laser Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) project, a scientific collaboration that achieved the historic detection of the first gravitational waves in 2015.