MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – More than two dozen researchers with ties to West Virginia University have helped unearth evidence of ripples in space time that have never been observed before.
News
GWAC research in the news.
WVU’s Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology faculty on international team to receive the Honorary 2022 Berkeley Prize
Holly Legleiter |
Honored for their innovative work in the field of fast radio bursts utilizing the CHIME radio telescope, the international CHIME/FRB team will receive the 2022 Berkeley prize for its dramatic progress on fast radio bursts (FRBs).
World-wide radio telescope network strengthens evidence for signal that may hint at ultra-low frequency gravitational waves
Holly Legleiter |
An international team of astronomers, including members of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), has announced the results of a comprehensive search for ripples in the fabric of space-time – known as gravitational waves. The team searched for low-frequency gravitational waves, which can originate from supermassive black hole binaries residing in galaxies or from events occurring soon after the formation of the universe in the Big Bang. Detecting these low-frequency signals will open a brand-new window in the gravitational wave spectrum and help scientists enhance their understanding of the evolution of galaxies, their central black holes, and the early universe.
Stellar feedback and an airborne observatory; a team led by a WVU researcher determined a nebula to be much younger than previously believed
Holly Legleiter |
In the southern sky, situated about 4,300 light years from Earth, lies RCW 120, an enormous glowing cloud of gas and dust. This cloud, known as an emission nebula, is formed of ionized gases and emits light at various wavelengths. An international team led by West Virginia University researchers studied RCW 120 to analyze the effects of stellar feedback, the process by which stars inject energy back into their environment. Their observations showed that stellar winds cause the region to expand rapidly, which enabled them to constrain the age of the region. These findings indicate that RCW 120 must be less than 150,000 years old, which is very young for such a nebula.
Exploring galaxies during a pandemic; how WVU Planetarium got creative during a pivot to virtual delivery
Holly Legleiter |
Normally when you visit the WVU Planetarium and Observatory, you take your seat and wondrously peer up at the dome with anticipation; the lights dim, and the dome lights up.
Andrew Kaiser publishes research studying the sensitivity of detectors across the black-hole binary gravitational wave spectrum
Holly Legleiter |
Andrew Kaiser, a fifth-year graduate student in WVU Physics and Astronomy, alongside Dr. Sean McWilliams, published their research in Classical and Quantum Gravity.
Sarah Burke-Spolaor and team in the news, investigating a missing supermassive black hole
Holly Legleiter |
Dr. Sarah Burke-Spolaor and team investigate a missing supermassive black hole in the center of galaxy cluster Abell 2261.
WVU astrophysicist named international Highly Cited Researcher
Holly Legleiter |
A West Virginia University astrophysicist has been named a 2020 Highly Cited Researcher by Web of Science, one of the world’s top research awards.