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Gravitational Waves


Speaker: Dr Patricia Schmidt MInstP, Associate Professor, Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy and the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham

Minuscule distortions in the fabric of space time were first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916. They are created in cataclysmic events throughout the Universe. Using some of the most precise rulers ever built, gravitational waves were detected for the first time in 2015. This ground-breaking discovery has opened a new window onto the cosmos: Gravitational waves provide unique information about the most energetic astrophysical events, revealing insights into the nature of gravity, matter, space, and time. To date, many tens of gravitational waves originating from the collisions of black holes and neutron stars have been identified, giving us extraordinary new insights into the inner workings of our Universe. 

In this talk, Dr Schmidt looks at the universe through Einstein's eyes: she will discuss the detection of gravitational waves as well as some of the most remarkable observations in recent years and their dramatic consequences for our understanding of the Universe.

About the speaker

Dr Patricia Schmidt is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Gravitational Wave Astronomy and the School of Physics and Astronomy. Her research focuses on the theoretical and numerical modelling of gravitational waves from colliding black holes and neutron stars, as well as the interpretation of gravitational-wave observations.

Please register for this talk as it helps with the rooming and refreshment arrangements and allows us to contact you should there be any changes to the talk details.

Lectures are free and open to the public. Light refreshments (drinks and biscuits) are provided. They take place in the Poynting Large Lecture Theatre on the 2nd floor of the Poynting Physics Building, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT. This is building R13 on the campus map here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/university/edgbaston-campus-map.pdf

Doors to the Large Lecture Theatre will be open from 7pm. The talk begins at 7.30pm.

Car parking on campus is usually available and free after 6pm. There is a railway station on campus called ‘University’ – connections to Birmingham New Street and the cross city line are approx. every 10 minutes. Further travel info is here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/contact/directions/index.aspx