Friday, September 26, 2025
66.3 F
Beckley
More

    WVU joins gravitational wave detection network

    The hunt for more evidence of gravitational waves— the ripples in space-time formed by cataclysmic events in the distant universe—will be accelerated with a nearly $2 million National Science Foundation grant awarded to a  scientist and her colleagues.

    Advertisement

    Eberly Distinguished Professor of   will serve as principal investigator on the project, which will bolster a global network of researchers and telescopes called the International Pulsar Timing Array.

    The coalition’s goal is to discover low-frequency gravitational waves – a different sort from what’s already been identified - using high-precision timing observations of exotic stars called millisecond pulsars with the world’s largest radio telescopes.

    WVU researchers already played a hand in  in 2015—some 100 years after Albert Einstein predicted their existence in his theory of general relativity.

    Advertisement
    Advertisement
    Advertisement
    Advertisement

    A sensitive instrument called LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) observed the first gravitational waves when two black holes crashed into one another., which, according to NASA, happened 1.3 billion years ago, though the ripples didn’t make it to Earth until 2015.

    Those gravitational waves, however, are different from the ones the IPTA is seeking out, McLaughlin said.

    “High-frequency waves have already been detected with LIGO,” said McLaughlin, who also directs the .

    “LIGO detected gravitational waves from stellar mass black holes —objects that are just a little bit bigger than the sun but form from stars that explode.

    Advertisement

    “The gravitational waves we’ll detect are from supermassive black holes sitting at the cores of galaxies. Think of galactic-sized black holes that are spiraling with much longer orbital periods. This will lead to a broadened understanding of the universe. We’re going to learn about galaxy evolution and growth through cosmic time.”

    McLaughlin hopes the recent award will build upon the roles WVU and West Virginia have in this field of research.

    In all, 11 telescopes, including the Green Bank Telescope in Pocahontas County, spanning nine countries will be utilized for the project, titled “AccelNet-Implementation: The International Pulsar Timing Array.”

    “Researchers using these large radio telescopes throughout the world are observing pulsars,” McLaughlin said.

    Advertisement

    “They’re measuring the arrival times of their pulses and then we’re going to combine all the data from all of these telescopes into one very sensitive dataset that can be used to search for correlated perturbations due to gravitational waves.

    “In five years, we hope to have the most sensitive dataset in the world to search for gravitational waves.”

    This project will expand the IPTA’s reach of gravitational wave hunting from North America, Europe and Australia to include China, India and South Africa.

    Beyond the potential scientific discoveries, McLaughlin said she’s also excited about the opportunities the project will provide for students at WVU and across the world. International workshops will be held to train students how to analyze the collected data.

    Advertisement

    “Giving WVU students the opportunity to collaborate with scientists all over the world and possibly travel to other countries to use their telescopes will be a really valuable experience for them,” McLaughlin said.

    “I’m also enthusiastic about bringing students in from other countries where they don’t have as much exposure to this kind of technology and science.”


    Sign up to receive a FREE copy of West Virginia Explorer Magazine in your email weekly. Sign me up!
    David Sibray
    David Sibray
    Historian, real estate agent, and proponent of inventive economic development in West Virginia, David Sibray is the founder and publisher of West Virginia Explorer Magazine. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390.

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    Hot this week

    Tourism surge in southern West Virginia yields more than $108 million for local economy

    GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — A newly released report from...

    Forecasted autumn rainfall promises vivid 2025 fall foliage in West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State officials say West Virginia is...

    Charles Town grave marks the last resting place of restless John Yeats Beall

    CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — In the Zion Episcopal churchyard...

    The Confederacy’s last major offensive in West Virginia: the Battle of Bulltown

    BULLTOWN, W.Va. — On a quiet October morning in...

    2025 archery and crossbow hunting seasons open September 27 in West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials at the W.Va. Division of...

    Topics

    2025 archery and crossbow hunting seasons open September 27 in West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials at the W.Va. Division of...

    First section of autumn 2025 black bear firearms season opens in West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials at the W.Va. Division of...

    West Virginia releases its 2025 hunting outlook and mast survey report

    ELKINS, W.Va. — Officials at the West Virginia Division...

    Pumpkin Spice and Beyond: WVU expert explains the power of seasonal scents

    MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As autumn arrives in West Virginia,...

    Related Articles

    Popular Categories