When Black Holes Collide, with Nergis Mavalvala

How do we detect ripples in spacetime? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Harrison Greenbaum explore black hole collisions, quantum tricks, and how gravitational waves can help us uncover the early universe with MIT physicist and LIGO researcher Nergis Mavalvala.

What are gravitational waves, and how do they stretch and squeeze spacetime? We break down Hawking radiation and why gravity itself doesn’t get sucked into a black hole. How did Einstein predict them, and why did it take a century to confirm their existence? Nergis breaks down how LIGO can measure distortions smaller than a proton. How do scientists bypass and manipulate quantum uncertainty to measure gravitational waves?

We go over Einstein’s general relativity and what cosmic phenomena it predicted. We dive into the violent collisions of black holes—what happens when objects moving at half the speed of light crash together? Learn how LIGO works and how lasers help us to make these minuscule measurements. Could gravitational waves let us see into the universe’s earliest moments before the cosmic microwave background?

Finally, how does every great scientific discovery build on those that came before? What technological advancements might come from gravitational wave research? And most importantly—why does this all matter for our understanding of the universe?

Thanks to our Patrons Akhilesh Kashyap, George Woods, Alishan Momin, Scott Artyn, Terrance Wallace, justinetaylor1989, David Kupersmith, Asef Karim, Robert Somazze, Micheal Emmer, Jeffrey Cooper, Bigyan Bhar, Gavin TRaber, A Bains, josh burrell, Darius Cruz, Cassandre L Henderson, Liam Higley, Ojakuna, Karen, Anshul Sanghi, Sam Walley, David Eatwell, Psychotacon, Alec Myers, Alfred Rivera, Colby Carmichiel, Tommy, kim kanahele, Robert Breutzmann, Dan Defibaugh, Slyter, Aksheev Bhambri, Chris Topher, Joanna Apergis, Rockington, Patrick Corrigan, AlexKP_, Abi ROdriguez, Shawn Santor, Shanna Johnston, Cleve Dawson, Mohammed Bilal Monnoo, Patrick Laurin, Eric Kaplan, Dr. What, Glen S. Sheets, David Yardley, Librak Productions LLC, and Catherine Thomas for supporting us this week.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: Nergis Mavalvala
06:10 - What Does “A Ripple in Spacetime” Even Mean?
09:25 - How Does Gravity Escape A Black Hole?
12:45 - Einstein vs. Newton's Gravity
16:54 - Colliding Black Holes
20:18 - The LIGO Experiment
26:07 - Detecting Gravitation Waves from the Early Universe
28:25 - The Quantum Loophole Used in LIGO
40:29 - What Discoveries Await Us?
42:42 - A Cosmic Perspective

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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[StarTalk]

Got any questions about black holes, gravitational waves, or space-time? Drop ’em below!

[brendanw]

The guest is a born teacher and phenomenal at explaining topics.

[davetamanini]

I particularly enjoy the way Neil enthusiastically reacts to something he might not have thought about previously.

[priver]

One thing I love about Neil Tyson, he'll ask questions that makes theoretical specialists answer questions in a manner that makes it understandable to us non theoretical specialists. I like what he does, and appreciate his humour. I hope he continues bringing science to the masses, in his own way. 👴

[bigmille]

I miss Chuck … Neil and Chuck are my favorite duo . He makes Neil laugh so hard and he asks questions that I’d ask which allows Neil to explain it again or deeper. I be needing that

[theduder]

This was an extremely interesting and fun episode.
Got my fingers crossed for getting Harrison, Nergis, and Chuck together in an episode.

[henocktaddese]

One of the best startalk episodes! The host, the comedian, the guest..perfect!

[andyshap]

Neil, I think you mean; "When black holes collide, with Nergis Mavalvala". That comma is important!

[packetcreeper]

Nergis' enthusiasm is infectious! It was absolutely fascinating listening to her explain complicated topics and concepts.

[PoaGoa]

my husband is at intensive therapy, fighting for his life, and these discussions keep me sane. 🙏🏼

[Grin_and_barrett]

Came to learn. Learned to laugh. 10/10 I smiled the entire first 5 minutes. Love the chemistry between you guys.

[RonaldBailey-nc]

Loved Harrison. Bring him back more often. The "Lord I Got Options, " Was a work of Genius...so quick 😅😅😅

[M.LO-dp]

I am astounded at how clear and easy to visualise was everything that was said. Almost like science is not difficult to understand. Great guests! Thank you Niel and Nergis!

[kel-A-]

Accelerating a black hole to half the speed of light is INSANE😭😭.
It's mind bogglingly insane!

[khalidkayani]

Nergis is great, she explains it nicely.

[DeezTimestamps]

📖 00:00 • 03:40 Introduction to Gravitational Waves and Space
• 00:00 Ripples in Space-Time and Massive Objects
• 00:31 Interview Introduction with Harrison Greenbound
• 02:07 Guest Nurgis Mavala and Quantum Astrophysics

📖 03:40 • 07:14 Introduction to LIGO and Gravitational Waves
• 03:40 LIGO Acronym and Team Discovery
• 04:10 Nobel Prize and Personal Experience
• 05:41 Gravitational Waves and Physics

📖 07:14 • 10:50 Introduction to Black Holes
• 07:14 Measuring Waves from Neutron Stars and Black Holes
• 07:44 Hawking Radiation and its Mechanism
• 08:15 Quantum Mechanical Properties of Black Holes
• 09:16 Gravity and Hawking Radiation

📖 10:50 • 14:27 Gravity and Black Holes
• 10:50 Gravity Outside the Event Horizon
• 11:20 Gravitational Waves and the Speed of Light
• 11:51 Limits of Knowledge and the Horizon
• 13:24 Einstein's Theory of General Relativity

📖 14:27 • 18:03 Introduction to Gravitational Waves
• 14:27 Gravitational Waves and Acceleration
• 14:57 Visualizing Gravitational Waves
• 15:28 Measuring Gravitational Wave Properties
• 16:30 Inference of Black Hole Properties

📖 18:03 • 21:43 Gravitational Waves and Sound
• 18:03 The Universe as a Particle Accelerator
• 18:34 Sound and the Media
• 19:05 Encoding Waves onto Senses
• 19:36 Visualization and Enhancement of Sensory Data
• 20:06 LIGO's History and Convincing Congress

📖 21:43 • 25:19 Gravitational Wave Detection Methods
• 21:43 Weber's Initial Claim and Instrumentation
• 22:44 Reproducing Weber's Measurements
• 23:47 Stimulating Interest and the Importance of Verification

📖 25:19 • 28:55 Gravitational Waves and Their Detection
• 25:19 Difficulty in Detecting Gravitational Waves due to Interactions with Matter
• 26:21 Gravitational Waves from the Early Universe
• 26:52 Limitations of Current Instrumentation in Detecting Gravitational Waves from the Early Universe
• 27:22 Advantages of Using Gravitational Waves to Study the Early Universe

📖 28:55 • 33:01 Introduction to Quantum Uncertainty and Measurement
• 29:27 Quantum Uncertainty in Particle Position
• 31:30 Measuring Quantum Properties with Limited Precision

📖 33:01 • 36:37 Quantum Loophole Discussion
• 33:01 Instruments Increasing Uncertainty and Reducing It in Other Variables
• 33:33 Manipulating Quantum Physics Loopholes
• 34:04 Measuring Phase and Noise Reduction
• 35:05 Squeezing Light and Quantum Physics
• 36:05 Gravitational Wave Detection Methodology

📖 36:37 • 40:12 Measuring Signal Differences
• 36:37 Starting with a signal close to zero and measuring tiny differences
• 37:07 Comparing the extra signal to the amplitude of waves
• 38:09 Understanding the instrument's power and noise levels
• 38:41 Measuring the smallest amount of light that can be distinguished

📖 40:12 • 44:14 The Interconnectedness of Scientific Discoveries
• 40:12 Building on Previous Discoveries and Predictions
• 41:14 Mysteries in Astrophysical Objects
• 42:45 The Importance of Creative Thinking and Interdependence

[tylerbest]

This was a wonderful episode. The guest was brilliant, her enthusiasm was contagious😊 and her point of view that she brought concerning gravitational waves and her understanding of largo was perfect.
Thank you Neil you're the best.

[d.king]

"Lord I got options "😂, perfectly timed.

[MWTGoldenGun]

I love her voice, I could listen to her lecture and not feel bored out of my mind.

[marcwright]

Space isn't empty, it literally has everything in it