Gravitational Waves - A New Astrnomical Tool

Abstract

Gravitational waves have been detected in the centenary year of Einstein's formulation of general theory of relativity that predicts these waves. It has been heralded as a landmark discovery, since it not only confirms various predictions of the theory, but also opens up a new window of observing the universe. I will discuss a few basic characteristics of gravitational waves in this article, and a few astrophysical implications.