Searching for gravitational waves

摘要

Gravitational waves, a new tool to facilitate our understanding the universe, have become a reality. Gravitational radiation, a prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity, has not yet been directly verified. Recent technical developments have enabled the construction of detectors with sensitivities sufficient for directly measuring radiation from astrophysical sources. These detectors are to operate together as a network, taking data continuously, listening to waves from coalescing compact binary systems, stellar collapses, pulsars, and the background of the early universe. This review covers the present state of gravitational radiation detection, plans for future detectors, and the sources of gravitational waves that are likely to play an important role in the upcoming observations.