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Einstein’s general theory of relativity teaches us that gravity radiates, producing waves which exert a tidal stretch and squeeze as they propagate across the universe. Because gravity is the weakest fundamental force, Einstein believed that this radiation would never be measured. Starting in 2015, an international collaboration has not only directly measured gravitational waves produced by exotic astronomical objects, but has used these waves to develop a new form of astronomy. In this lecture, I will describe the quest for gravitational waves, showing how this idea emerged as, over centuries, we have improved our understanding of gravity’s nature. I will emphasize that it is best to think of these waves as “sound-like,” and will play examples of the songs that astronomical objects sing. I will discuss some of the surprising things we have learned from measuring these waves so far, plus what we expect from future instruments, including the LIGO-India detector.
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