Gravity waves are weird ripples in space-time predicted by Einstein’s theories – and this week, scientists might have detected them for the first time.
If true, the find could offer a new ‘window on the universe’ – and help us understand strange objects such as black holes.
This week, a rumour has circulated that the waves have been detected at a project set up to hunt for them – using lasers to measure tiny changes in the length of a tunnel.
Lawrence Krauss of Arizona State University, Tweeted, ‘Gravitational waves may have been discovered!’
Einstein predicted that the waves would be produced in violent events such as collisions between black holes – and would stretch and compress space time as they travelled.
But the find has not yet been confirmed by scientists on the LIGO project – the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Ligo).
Krauss said, ‘I don’t know if the rumour is solid. If I don’t hear anything in the next two months, I’ll conclude it was false.
‘They will be extremely cautious. There’s no reason for them to make a claim they are not certain of.
‘We would have a new window on the universe. Gravitational waves are generated in the most exotic, strange locations in nature, such as at the edge of black holes at the beginning of time.
‘We are pretty certain they exist, but we’ve not been able to use them to probe the universe.’
Gabriela Gonzalez, of the LIGO collaboration said, ‘The LIGO instruments are still taking data today, and it takes us time to analyse, interpret and review results, so we don’t have any results to share yet.