Gravitational waves as a new probe of the universe

Authors

Jun'ichi Yokoyama ⋅ JP Research Center for the Early Universe (RESCEU), School of Science, The University of Tokyo

Abstract

The first direct detection of gravitational waves was announced on February 12, 2016 by LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) collaboration, which detected gravitational waves from binary black hole coalescence on September 14, 2015. This was achieved for the first time 100 years after Einstein predicted its existence. A number of discoveries of similar events have been following with newly joined Virgo detector in Europe.

On August 17, 2017 gravitational waves from binary neutron star coalescence was discovered by LIGO and Virgo for the first time, which was also observed by a number of observational means of photons with wide range of wave length from radio, optical, X-ray, to gamma-ray, establishing multi-messenger astrophysics. By cooperation of the worldwide network of observations, the mysteries of short gamma-ray burst and kilonova were disclosed and the origin of heavy elements such as gold has been clarified. Thus gravitational waves are providing new ways to probe the astrophysical phenomena. In March 2020, the Japanese KAGRA is also joining the worldwide network of ground-based gravitational wave detection. In future, cosmological gravitational waves could also be detected by space-based laser interferometer, which will provide useful information to probe the earliest epoch of the evolution of the Universe. I will discuss these issues on gravitational waves in my presentation.

About the Speaker

Jun'ichi Yokoyama, Research Center for the Early Universe (RESCEU), School of Science, The University of Tokyo

Jun'ichi Yokoyama has been working on theories of the Early Universe including, but not limited to, inflationary cosmology, baryogenesis, topological defects, cosmological phase transitions, primordial black holes and gravitational wave cosmology. Recently he has also engaged in data analysis of KAGRA, an underground laser interferometer to detect gravitational waves.

He is a Professor at the Research Center for the Early Universe (RESCEU), The University of Tokyo, and jointly appointed at the Department of Physics, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, the Kavli Institute for the Mathematics and Physics of the Universe, The University of Tokyo, and the Trans-scale Quantum Science Institute, The University of Tokyo.

He received his PhD in 1990 from The University of Tokyo. He worked at the School of Science, The University of Tokyo; Theoretical Astrophysics Group of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University; Department of Physics at Stanford University; and Department of Earth and Space Science at Osaka University before joining RESCEU.

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Issue

2020: Proceedings of the 38th Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas Physics Conference

Article ID

SPP-2020-INV-1E-01

Section

Invited Presentations

Published

2020-10-19

How to Cite

[1]

J Yokoyama, Gravitational waves as a new probe of the universe, Proceedings of the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas 38, SPP-2020-INV-1E-01 (2020). URL: https://proceedings.spp-online.org/article/view/SPP-2020-INV-1E-01.