"Gravitational Waves: What in the Universe are they? Why should we care?"

Video Description

Lecture Summary 100 years after Einstein predicted their existence, we have detected the amazing phenomenon of gravitational waves! In this talk I will discuss what they are, how we observe them, and where they come from. In particular, merging black holes are something we predicted to happen but never thought to see, because they do not emit any light. I will summarize the recent detections from the The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) instrument, including the new window we have on observing black holes in the universe. The LIGO instrument is limited in what types of merging black holes it can measure: supermassive black holes, which exist in the center of most galaxies, emit lower frequency gravitational waves when they merge and LIGO cannot detect them. However, a new space-based mission is being planned which will be able to observe gravitational waves from many more types of objects, including supermassive black holes. I will demonstrate how my research on simulating the formation of supermassive black holes in galaxies makes key predictions for this up-and-coming observatory. Jillian Bellovary joined the faculty at Queensborough in 2016 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics. She received her Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Washington in 2010, and had postdoctoral positions at the University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University, and the American Museum of Natural History. Her research focuses on using cosmological hydrodynamic simulations to predict the formation and evolution of massive black holes in the universe, along with their host galaxies. Her current goal is to provide observers with clues to discover more supermassive black holes in dwarf galaxies, either with telescopes or gravitational waves. Professor Bellovary served in the U.S. Peace Corps in The Gambia from 2001-2003 and loves to travel. She is passionate about issues of equity and inclusion in all scientific fields, and serves on the Committee for the Status of Minorities in Astronomy. In her free time she enjoys knitting socks.