Public talk (in Englisch): “How black hole mergers can be observed with gravitational waves”

Albert Einstein had predicted them, but considered their direct measurement impossible: Space-time ripples, so-called gravitational waves. Nevertheless, researchers have searched for them. About 100 years after Einstein's prediction, scientists succeeded for the first time in observing gravitational waves that were emitted during the last fraction of a second of the fusion of two black holes. Bruce Allen, Director of the MPI for Gravitational Physics, made significant contributions to this results. In an interview with Helmut Grubmüller (MPI for Biophysical Chemistry), he explains how the observation was made possible and how gravitational waves open up a new window to the Universe for us. Lecture in English. In cooperation with the Max Planck Society and the Lower Saxony State and University Library Göttingen.