09/14/2007
OXFORD, Miss.- A faculty physicist is the lecturer for the
University of Mississippi’s Liberal Arts Faculty Forum
Tuesday (Sept. 18).
Marco Cavaglia, assistant professor of physics and
astronomy, plans to deliver the address “The Search for
Gravitational Waves” at 4 p.m. in the Tupelo Room of
Barnard Observatory. The event is free and open to the
public.
Cavaglia, along with several other researchers in the
Department of Physics and Astronomy, recently joined the
National Science Foundation-sponsored Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-wave Observatory Scientific Collaboration.
The effort involves more than 500 scientists from 47
institutions worldwide whose goal is to discover the
existence of gravitational waves for scientific research.
Cavaglia’s upcoming lecture is to be a discussion about how
the LIGO collaborators plan to try to detect the
gravitational waves, followed by an explanation about the
benefits of such an accomplishment.
“This is a major experiment within theoretical physics,”
Cavaglia said. “I believe we are on the brink of detecting
gravitational waves, which Einstein predicted in his Theory
of General Relativity. The discovery of gravitational waves
will allow us to prove the existence of black holes and
give us a magnitude of information about astrophysics as
well.”
“I believe it is very important for the Department of
Physics and Astronomy to have joined the LIGO scientific
collaboration,” said Thomas Marshall, UM chair and
professor of physics and astronomy. “Our membership in
LIGO will bring substantial benefit to our faculty and
students. Proximity to the LIGO Louisiana site with its
new outreach center will also increase outreach
opportunities.”
A native of Turin, Italy, Cavaglia joined the Ole Miss
faculty in 2004. He received his undergraduate degree at
the University of Turin and his doctorate at the
International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste,
Italy. He previously taught at Tufts University in
Massachusetts, MIT and the University of Portsmouth in
England.
To learn more about the Department of Physics and
Astronomy, visit
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/physics?and?astronomy/. For
assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7046.