The First Detection of Gravitational Waves

TL;DR

This paper reports the groundbreaking first detection of gravitational waves by LIGO, originating from a binary black hole merger, confirming a major prediction of Einstein's general relativity and opening new avenues for astrophysics.

Contribution

It provides the first direct observation of gravitational waves, demonstrating the capabilities of LIGO detectors and confirming key predictions of gravitational wave theory.

Findings

Detection of gravitational waves from black hole merger

Measurement of black hole masses and energy released

Validation of general relativity in strong gravity regime

Abstract

This article deals with the first detection of gravitational waves by the advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors on 14 September 2015, where the signal was generated by two stellar mass black holes with masses 36 $ M_{\odot}$ and 29 $ M_{\odot}$ that merged to form a 62 $ M_{\odot}$ black hole, releasing 3 $M_{\odot}$ energy in gravitational waves, almost 1.3 billion years ago. We begin by providing a brief overview of gravitational waves, their sources and the gravitational wave detectors. We then describe in detail the first detection of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger. We then comment on the electromagnetic follow up of the detection event with various telescopes. Finally, we conclude with the discussion on the tests of gravity and fundamental physics with the first gravitational wave detection event.