Abstract:
In 1916 Einstein proposed the existence of gravitational waves (GWs) and derived the quadrupole formula in general relativity. This prediction eventually received observational support from the binary pulsar after a long controversy about the existence of GWs. On the direct experimental detection side, Joseph Weber started more than fifty years ago. In 1966, his bar for GW detection reached a strain sensitivity of a few times 10−16, bridging 10 orders of magnitudes of the sensitivity gap between GW sources and technological sensitivities at 1916.
After proposals of cryogenic resonant detection, Weiss proposed km-sized interferometric detectors in 1972. The response to build interferometric detectors was then prevailing. When Advanced LIGO first reached a strain sensitivity of the order of 10−22, with the aid of templates generated by numerical relativity, LIGO Science Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration did make the first detections in their O1 Run
of aLIGO: two 5-σ GW events and one likely event. With the recent announcements of 3-detector detection of Black Hole Binary and Neutron Star Binary, Multi-Messenger Astronomy arose as a bright field.
Besides Earth-based GW detectors, the drag-free sensitivity of the LISA Pathfinder has already reached to the LISA goal level, paving the road for space GW detectors. Over the whole GW spectrum (from aHz to THz) there are efforts for detection, notably the very-low-frequency band (pulsar timing array [PTA], 300 pHz–100 nHz) and the extremely-low (Hubble)-frequency band (cosmic microwave background [CMB] experiment, 0.1 aHz–10 fHz). In conclusion, we will focus some attention to middle-frequency band and discuss AMIGO.
Brief Bio:
Education and Experience:
∙B.S.–National Taiwan University-physics, 1966
∙Ph.D.–California Institute of Technology-physics and mathematics, 1972
∙Postdoc–Montana State University, 1972-1974
∙Member of the faculty and Honorary Chair Professor Emeritus at National Tsing
Hua University since 1974
Publications:
∙Over 200 papers, articles and book chapters
∙Over 100 SCI papers with over 2000 SCI citations
∙H-index of SCI citations is 24; 7 Physical Review Letters (5 first author letters; 2 second author letters)
∙For last 3 years, over 20 SCI papers including 2 Astrophysical J papers and 3 Physics Letters A papers
Related Recent Papers:
∙K. Kuroda, W.-T. Ni and W.-P. Pan, "Gravitational waves: classification, methods of detection, sensitivities, and sources,” Int. J. Mod. Phys. D 24, 1530031 (44 pages) (2015).
∙W.-T. Ni, "Gravitational wave detection in space", Int. J. Mod. Phys. D 25, 1630001 (52 pages) (2016).
∙W.-T. Ni, "Solar-system tests of the relativistic gravity", Int. J. Mod. Phys. D 25, 1630003 (36 pages) (2016).
∙W.-T. Ni, S. Han, T. Jin, "Precision requirements and innovative manufacturing for ultrahigh precision laser
interferometry of GW astronomy", Proc. SPIE 10023, 100230F (12 pages, November 24, 2016),
arXiv:1610.03565.
∙C.-M. Chen, J. M. Nester, W.-T. Ni, "A brief history of GW research", Chin. J. Phys. 55, 142–169 (2017),
1610.08803.
∙A. Di Virgilio, J. Belfi, W.-T. Ni, N. Beverini, G. Carelli, E. Maccioni and A. Porzio, "GINGER: A feasibility study," Eur. Phys. J. Plus 132, 157 (12 pages) (2017).
Recent Book:
∙W.-T. Ni (Editor) One Hundred Years of General Relativity: From Genesis and Empirical Foundations to
Gravitational Waves, Cosmology and Quantum Gravity, Vol. I & II (over 1300 pages), World Scientific,
Singapore, 2017.
∙A brief history of gravitational-wave research and the gravitational-wave spectrum