Warning: this page contains advanced information about gravitational waves that may cause existential dread in non-physicists.
Gravitational waves are tiny ripples in the fabric of spacetime caused by massive cosmic events, like the collision of two black holes. But have you ever wondered about the quantum fluctuations that make them wavy?
Apparently, these fluctuations are so small they're almost not even there.
Gravitational waves can be both waves and particles, like Schrödinger's cat. Except instead of a cat, it's a cat wearing a tiny graviton suit.
Or maybe it's just a wave-particle thing. Like, who knows, maybe it's both, maybe it's just a wave. Or maybe it's a cat in a graviton suit. The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.
Despite the existential crisis caused by gravitational waves, we've actually detected them. Using lasers, of course. Because, why not?
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a real place where people point lasers at the sky and hope to catch a glimpse of the cosmic dance.
Read more about LIGO's laser-based adventures