Our universe is shaped by the struggle of forces between matter and the attraction of gravity that brings matter together. In the case of neutron stars, matter puts up the ultimate defense, as gravity crushes matter down to densities that exceed those of atomic nuclei. Such neutron stars pack more mass than our Sun down to a size no bigger than Los Angeles. At even further extremes, gravity will lead to the total demise of matter, collapsing everything into a black hole. Yet, at the same time, gravity also provides the means to study such extreme objects as neutron stars and black holes: gravitational waves, "ripples" in spacetime that are emitted when neutron stars and black holes collide while traveling at a fraction of the speed of light. Katerina Chatziioannou, assistant professor of physics and William H. Hurt Scholar, describes how researchers track collisions of neutron stars and black holes with gravitational waves, and what we are learning about the universe's most extreme objects.

For more information about Professor Chatziioannou’s research, visit: https://kchatziioannou.github.io

The full title of this lecture is "Matter vs. Gravity: Listening to Colliding Black Holes and Neutron Stars with Gravitational Waves."

About the Series:

Since 1922, The Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series has brought Caltech's most innovative scientific research to the public. The series is named for Earnest C. Watson, a professor of physics at Caltech from 1919 until 1959. Spotlighting a small selection of the pioneering research Caltech's faculty is currently conducting, the Watson Lectures are geared toward a general audience, as part of the Institute's ongoing commitment to benefiting the local community through education and outreach.

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