A University of Colorado at Boulder astrophysicist has proposed a new method for detecting and tracking gravitational waves, which are so powerful that they warp the fabric of space and time.
Improving the detection of gravitational waves as they ripple through the universe could help scientists explore some of the universe’s most enduring mysteries, including unraveling the intersection of electromagnetism and the force of gravity.
“There is a lot we can learn from getting these precise measurements of gravitational waves,” explained Jeremy Darling, professor in the UC Boulder Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences. “Different flavors of gravity could lead to lots of different kinds of gravitational waves.
First proposed by famed theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, gravitational waves weren’t detected until scientists using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected their telltale signature in 2015. Since that first detection, several novel applications of LIGO and planned future detectors have been proposed.
In 2022, the international think tank Applied Physics proposed using gravitational waves to spot the signature of spacecraft using a Star Trek-style “warp drive.” In 2025, the same organization announced a project led by Harvard Astrophysicist Dr. Avi Loeb that would use the detection of gravitational waves for planetary defense. Dr. Loeb has proposed that alien civilizations could be using gravitational waves to communicate. SETI has suggested that gravitational waves could help detect advanced extraterrestrial civilizations.
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