Nobel prize-2017 in the field of physics were scientists from the United States.
One of the most prestigious scientific awards will receive a Rainer Weiss (MIT Professor), Barry Barish , and Kip Thorne (both of the California Institute of technology) for the detection of gravitational waves.
The waves referred to by albert Einstein, comes from the collision of two black holes. It took 1.3 billion years, so the waves got to the LIGO detector in the US. The signal first reached the Earth on 14 September 2015, was very weak, but is a precursor to a real revolution in the field of astrophysics.
As described in his General theory of relativity albert Einstein, gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light, filling the Universe. Einstein was convinced that the measure is impossible. The achievement of the project LIGO was that the researchers used two giant laser interferometer to measure the slightest change, thousands of times smaller than the atomic nucleus when a gravitational wave passed by Earth.
Still to explore the Universe used all types of electromagnetic radiation and particles such as cosmic rays or neutrinos. However, gravitational waves are direct evidence of violations of the space-time continuum. This is something completely new, opening invisible worlds. Those who will be able to intercept these waves and «read» their posts, waiting for many discoveries, according to a press release of the Nobel Committee.
All three physicists — members of the Observatory Ligo-Virgo, where there was an opening, have the most direct relation to scientific breakthrough. The pioneers of astrophysics Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne, along with Barry Beisem, scientist and leader of the group, who completed the project have done everything possible to make 40-year-old work was a success and the academic world saw gravitational waves.
The Nobel prize Committee decided that half of the prize Fund, which is a total of 1.1 million dollars, will receive Professor Weiss, the other half will be divided between a Professor Thorne and Professor Barish.
Already in the mid 1970-ies Rainer Weiss started his work and created a prototype of a laser interferometer with a low noise level. Then Kip Thorne and Rainer Weiss were confident in the detection of gravitational waves, which would lead to a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of human knowledge about the Universe.
Interestingly, Thorne also brought their contribution to the creation of the famous painting «interstellar».
Kip Thorne, together with lynda Obst, was the author of the idea of the film Director Christopher Nolan. On the idea of Thorne, the film had to go modern physical theory. In the early 2000’s, he discussed the idea with Steven Spielberg, who later abandoned the project. Replacing Spielberg Nolan suggested the torn place scientific consultant and Executive producer of the film. Thus, Kip Thorne was the first Hollywood producer, who received the Nobel prize.
