Jameson Rollins - LIGO: The Dawn of Gravitational Wave Astronomy
Channel: EuroPython Conference
Date: 2016-08-02

Jameson Rollins - LIGO: The Dawn of Gravitational Wave Astronomy
[EuroPython 2016]
[20 July 2016]
[Bilbao, Euskadi, Spain]
(https://ep2016.europython.eu//conference/talks/keynote-ligo)

Scientists have been searching for the elusive gravitational wave for
more than half a century.  Hear how they finally found them, and the
role that Python played in the discovery.

-----

Scientists have been searching for the elusive gravitational wave for
more than half a century.  On September 14, 2015, the Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) finally observed
the gravitational wave signature from the merger of two black holes.
This detection marks the dawn of a new age of _gravitational wave
astronomy_, where we routinely hear the sounds emanating from deep
within the most energetic events in the Universe.  This talk will
cover the events leading up to one of the most important discoveries
of the last century, and the myriad of ways in which Python enabled
the effort.