ASTROPHYSICS
How do gravitational waves work?
Gravity isn’t just a force that keeps things glued together. Through our understanding of general relativity, we know that gravity can make gravitational waves, or ripples in the fabric of space-time. Shortly after formulating his general theory of relativity, Albert Einstein realised that gravity can make waves. However, he quickly doubted his own conclusions. The realisation that gravitational waves exist came from a simplified form of general relativity, and Einstein didn’t know if the waves were real or just an artefact of the simplification process. It took several decades before physicists came to the firm conclusion that general relativity does support gravitational waves. In other words, they are indeed a real thing.