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Sergey Klimenko
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Observations of Gravitational Waves with LIGO and Virgo.
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With the first direct observation of gravitational
waves on September 14, 2015, the advanced
LIGO detectors started to probe the physics
of the most cataclysmic astrophysical events
in the Universe – mergers of binary black
holes (BBH). In the following experiments
with LIGO and Virgo detectors several more
signals from binary black holes have been
detected along with the first observation
of the two coalescing neutron stars. These
discoveries confirmed a major prediction
of Albert Einsteins 1915 general theory of
relativity and opened an unprecedented new
window onto the cosmos. I will talk about
the first detection, summarize the LIGO andVirgo
observations, and discuss how gravitational
wave astronomy promises to change our understanding
of universe.

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