FLORENCE, ITALY – For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at Earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe.
This confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos.
The discovery of gravitational waves “is a result that sets the seal on the theory of general relativity formulated exactly 100 years ago: it’s a birthday present for Einstein”, said the president of Italy’s National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Ferrando Ferroni.
He said it was “a great discovery, which follows that of the Higg’s boson and which sees the INFN present again. Even with the great difficulties around us, we manage to find a way that leads us to the discovery”.
Thursday’s announcement in the US and Italy crowns a technological challenge met on the one hand by the US, Britain and Germany (Ligo) and on the other by Italy and France.
One of the main research cetners envolved is the EGO – the European Gravitational Observatory – is one of the main research centers envolved is the discovery. It is located in the countryside near Pisa in the Commune of Cascina.
In order to ensure the long term scientific exploitation of the Virgo interferometric antenna for gravitational waves detection as well as to foster European collaboration in this upcoming field, the Virgo funding institututions (Cnrs for France and Infn for Italy) have created a consortium called Ego (European Gravitational Observatory).
Virgo is a 3-km long interferometer built in the framework of a French-Italian collaboration. Today, this collaboration involves 19 laboratories with more than 250 scientists in France, Italy and also in the Netherlands, Poland and Hungary as well.