'Black holes, neutron stars and gravitational waves: from a whisper to a symphony'

Описание: 'Black holes, neutron stars and gravitational waves: from a whisper to a symphony' by Professor Patrick Brady (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee).

The Wetton public lecture is part of the Philip Wetton Workshop, a forum for discussion of recent results on kilonovae and gamma-rays bursts and an opportunity to shape the future of this field of study.

Distinguished Professor Patrick Brady was the guest speaker this year.

Abstract: Scientists first detected gravitational waves - ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein - on 14 September 2015. That momentous discovery, a gravitational-wave whisper from two colliding black holes, opened an entirely new window onto the Universe. Marking the tenth anniversary of this breakthrough, Brady recounted how gravitational-wave astronomy has transformed from a bold experiment into a thriving field, revealing a symphony of signals from merging black holes and neutron stars. Along the way, guests learned how gravitational waves are generated, what happens at the black hole event horizon, how neutron star collisions are responsible for most of the gold in our Universe, and what mysteries gravitational-wave astronomy may soon solve.

This live recording took place on 2 September 2025, at the Martin Wood Lecture Theatre (Department of Physics, University of Oxford).
All copyrights are Department of Physics/ Professor Brady. If you'd like to use part or whole of this video, please seek written permission from us.

Image from a MAYA collaboration numerical relativity simulation of a neutron star-black hole (NSBH) binary merger, showing the disruption of the neutron star. Credit: Deborah Ferguson (UT Austin), Bhavesh Khamesra (Georgia Tech), and Karan Jani (Vanderbilt University)