Ripples on a Cosmic Sea: The Search for Gravitational Waves (Frontiers of Science (Addison-Wesley)) - Hardcover

Most people live and work entirely oblivious to the fact that a myriad of ghostly ripples are passing through them all the time. Generated in the depths of space by colliding stars and black holes, exploding supernovas and the turmoil that lies in the hearts of quasars, these so-called gravitational waves are literally ripples in the fabric of space itself. Sweeping across the cosmos at the speed of light, they encode vital clues about the exotic systems that produced them. This is the first complete book for a general audience on this fascinating phenomenon. Blair and McNamara first give the reader a solid but understandable grounding in Newton's laws and in Einstein's relativity. They then go on to tell how these ghostly waves are produced by some of the most exotic objects in the universe. Finally, they recount the thrilling race to build the first successful gravitational wave antenna, a device that will pick up gravitational waves as a radio antenna picks up radio waves. As the authors show, the reward for this endeavor will be the opening up of an entirely new window on the universe.

The fascinating story of the race to detect gravitational wavesthose magnificent ripples that will finally let us listen to the universe. . Most people live and work entirely oblivious to the fact that a myriad of ghostly ripples are passing through them all the time. Generated in the depths of space by colliding stars and black holes, exploding supernovas and quasars, these so-called gravitational waves are literally ripples in the fabric of space itself. Sweeping across the cosmos at the speed of light, they encode vital clues about the exotic systems that produced them. Predicted by Einstein over eighty years ago, but never detected in the laboratory, gravitational waves have proven elusive to scientists. In the first book for a general reader on these amazing waves, Blair and McNamara weave a thrilling tale about the race to build the first gravitational wave antennaa challenge that has prompted physicists and astronomers to devise some of the most breathtaking technology the world has ever seen. What these scientists find will allow us to listen to the explosion of stars, the creation of black holes, even the sound of the Big Bang itself, and will undoubtedly chart a new course for astronomy in the coming millennium.