On the Hunt for Gravitational Memory with astrophysicist Dr. Dustin R. Madison
Join the Physics Department for a talk with future Occidental faculty, astrophysicist Dr. Dustin R. Madison. We will have light refreshments beginning at 4:30pm.
On the Hunt for Gravitational Memory
It’s been only a decade since gravitational waves (GWs) were first detected. There is still so much to learn. A consequential feature of GW signals called “memory” is still undetected but sought after by nearly every type of GW experiment: pulsar timing arrays, ground-based interferometers, and future space-based interferometers. Memory is a lasting imprint in spacetime accompanying the passage of an otherwise transient GW event. It could give us observational insights into the symmetries of spacetime and possible quantum theories of gravity.
Dr. Madison will talk about the current state of the hunt for memory and discuss their work to describe signatures of memory in the cosmic microwave background.
