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SU doctoral student will discuss research on gravitational waves and gravitational wave detection in Pathways to Knowledge lectureFebruary 20, 2001Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

Andri M. Gretarsson, a physics doctoral student, will present “Quiet Detectors for Listening to the Cosmos” during the first Spring 2001 installment of the Pathways to Knowledge Lecture Series at 7:30 p.m. March 6 in Gifford Auditorium of Huntington Beard Crouse Hall. Sponsored by the Department of Science Teaching in The College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School, the lecture series is designed to broaden the academic horizons of Syracuse University undergraduate students by inviting SU Ph.D. candidates to share their research. Gretarsson will discuss his research on gravitational waves and gravitational wave detection. The work Gretarsson has been doing at SU over the past three years is part of a national research project called LIGO (for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory). Funded by the National Science Foundation, LIGO is a nationwide collaborative project involving hundreds of scientists from 15 universities who are building instruments to detect gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are types of sounds that are produced during some of the most violent events in the universe, such as exploding stars or supernovas and colliding black holes. Yet once they reach Earth, gravitational waves are so weak that in order to detect them scientists need extremely sensitive and quiet instruments. Gretarsson will talk about the LIGO project in general and will then discuss some of the sources of noise scientists are trying to eliminate in detectors.