Gravitational waves

Abstract

Gravitational waves are among the first effects of General Relativity to be predicted, and the last to be observed. In this dissertation we start with a short survey of the most significant results and relevant literature on the subject. We establish in detail the theoretical basis for the existence of gravitational waves, starting with the linearized theory of General Relativity, where we show that a wave-type solution is obtained regardless of the coordinate system chosen. We then proceed to the theory of wave sources, proving that gravitational waves carry energy, and that this energy is lost as mass by the source. This is followed by a discussion of astrophysical sources of gravitational waves, and their characteristics. We finally examine the observational evidence of the existence of gravitational waves, and the current efforts to construct effective detectors.