Today we can SEE the beauty of the universe with modern telescopes in many wavelengths. Observing the universe with gravitational waves - a wave type which can be related to the acoustic waves - will allow us for the first time to HEAR it.
FR According to Einstein´s general relativity, accelerated masses produce gravitational waves – perturbations of spacetime propagating at the speed of light through the universe, unhindered by intervening mass. A direct observation of gravitational waves will add a new sense to our perception of the Universe.
Hence we will for the first time LISTEN to the Universe and
- survey compact stellar-mass binaries
- study the structure of our home galaxy, the Milky Way
- trace the formation, growth, and merger history of massive black holes
- explore stellar populations and dynamics in galactic nuclei
- confront General Relativity with observations
- probe new physics and cosmology with gravitational waves
- and complement our picture of the Universe and its evolution