New Detector Could Soon Narrow Down Gravitational-Wave Sources

Gravitational waves were detected for the first time a year and a half ago, when some of them throbbed through Earth. Two incredibly sensitive detectors—one in Washington State and one in Louisiana—picked up the distortions in spacetime, emanating in this case from two merging black holes.

The two U.S. detectors will soon be joined by an instrument in Italy that could help solve the mystery of where gravitational waves originate. When Advanced Virgo starts running, the possible location of the waves' source in the sky should shrink by another factor of five, says Fulvio Ricci, Member (1983–84) in the School of Mathematics, Virgo's spokesperson, and a physicist at Sapienza University of Rome.