Research to search for Einstein’s missing link

Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein almost a century ago but they are yet to be directly detected. Scientists are now trying to measure them in an attempt not only to confirm a key prediction of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, but also enhance understanding of the fundamental nature of our Universe. Physicists from the University of Glasgow have been awarded a £4.2 million Science & Technology Funding Council (STFC) grant to develop new technologies to test for the existence of gravitational waves. This research will be important for a worldwide network of detectors, including the German-UK GEO600, the French-Italian Virgo, and the American Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) which are currently being upgraded to start hunting for these most elusive signals emanating from the deepest reaches of the Universe. It is thought that gravitational waves are caused by massive astronomical events, such as the explosion of dying stars and coalescence of binary neutron stars and black holes that create wave-like distortions of spacetime. Gravitational wave astronomy provides unique tools for studying the destructive and creative forces at work in our Universe that are unobservable by other means and promise to lead to further breakthroughs in the fields of astrophysics and cosmology. In order to find evidence of gravitational waves, a team of researchers from the University of Glasgow are studying new materials and optical techniques to enhance the sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors.