The first 5 years of gravitational-wave astrophysics

Abstract

Doing astronomy with ripples in spacetime General relativity predicts that moving massive objects generate gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime that propagate at the speed of light. Direct detection of gravitational waves was first announced in February of 2016. Vitale reviews the scientific results of gravitational wave astronomy over the subsequent 5 years. About 50 events have been detected, mostly the mergers of binary black holes. The mass distribution of those events is unlike previously known black holes and constrains the evolution of massive stars. A binary neutron star merger was detected in both gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation, a form of multi-messenger astrophysics. Tests of general relativity and cosmological measurements have also been performed. Science , abc7397, this issue p. eabc7397