>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK,
EVERYBODY. MY NEXT GUEST IS A PROFESSOR OF
PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, A
BESTSELLING AUTHOR, AND AN ALL-AROUND SMARTY PANTS. HE'S HERE TO TELL US ABOUT THE
DISCOVERY OF GRAVITATIONAL WAVES AND WHY IT'S A HUGE DEAL. PLEASE WELCOME OUR FRIEND, BRIAN
GREENE. GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE. YOU'RE CODIRECTOR OF COLUMBIA'S
INSTITUTE FOR STRINGS, COSMOLOGY, AND ASTROPARTICLE
PHYSICS. >> YES. >> Stephen: THAT'S A PRETTY
GOOD PICKUP LINE. SINCE LAST WE WERE TOGETHER,
SCIENTISTS DETECTED GRAVITATIONAL WAVES. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS SOMETHING
EINSTEIN PREDICTED. >> YES. >> Stephen: HOW LONG AGO? >> 100 YEARS AGO THIS YEAR, IN
1916. THIS IS A HUGE DISCOVERY, NOT
ONLY CONFIRMING EINSTEIN'S IDEAS BUT OPENING A WHOLE NEW WAY OF
EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE. >> Stephen: DOES HE SEEM EVEN
SMARTER NOW THAN HE USED TO SEEM? >> HE'S, LIKE, SO UP THERE, THAT
THERE IS NO GETTING SMARTER. IT'S LIKE INFUNT, FURTHER NORTH
THAN THE NORTH POLE. >> Stephen: THE SCIENTISTS ARE
STILL DOING HIS HOMEWORK FROM 100 YEARS AGO
( LAUGHTER ). >> YEAH, HE HAS GIVEN US AN
INCREDIBLY RICH LEGACY THAT WE HAVE BEEN PURSUING, YEAH, FOR
100 YEARS. EVERYTHING THAT I'VE DONE IN MY
OWN CAREER REALLY HAS, IN SOME SENSE, BEEN TRYING TO PUSH
FORWARD ON THE PATH THAT HE FIRST BLAZE GLD WHAT IS A
GRAVITATIONAL WAVE, AND WHY DOES IT CHANGE EVERYTHING? >> SO AIR, GRAVITATIONAL WAVE IS
ACTUALLY A RIPPLE IN THE FABRIC OF SPACE. WE KNOW YOU THROW A PEBBLE INTO
A POND, THE WATER RIPPLES. NOW, THIS IS A RIPPLE, BUT NOT
WITH WATER. IT'S IN SPACE ITSELF. >> Stephen: YOU ARE BLOWING MY
MIND AGAIN. ( LAUGHTER )
SO WHAT ARE WE LOOK AT HERE? >> THIS IS EINSTEIN'S GENERAL
RELATIVITY WHICH HE DISCOVERED IN 1915, A YEAR EARLIER, AND THE
KEY IDEA IS HE FOUND GRAVITY COMES FROM THE WARPS AND CURVES
IN THE SPACE. THE SUN WARPS THE SPACE AND
KEEPS THE EARTH IN ORBIT. >> Stephen: LIKE A BOWLING
BALL ON A TRAMPOLINE. >> TRAMPOLINE, EXACTLY RIGHT. WHAT HAPPENED IS, THIS IS 1915. HE DISWNT JUST STOP. HE KEEPS GOING, AND A YEAR LATER
HE REALIZES IF SPACE IS LIKE A TRAMPOLINE, THEN IMAGINE KIDS
RUNNING AROUND ON A TRAMPOLINE. THEY'RE GOING TO SEND RIPPLES ON
THE SURFACE. SO HE SAYS THE SAME SHOULD BE
TRUE OF THE FABRIC OF SPACE. IF YOU'VE QOT TWO RAPIDLY
ORBITING STARS, NEUTRON STARS OR BLACK HOLES, HIS MATH PREDICTS
THAT THEY WILL GENERATE A STEADY MARCH OF RIPPLES IN THE FABRIC
OF SPACE. THOSE ARE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
THAT HE PREDICTED MATHEMATICALLY. >> Stephen: AND NOW THEY HAVE
BEEN DETECTED. >> YES. >> Stephen: WHAT HAPPENED THAT
ALLOWED US TO DO THAT? >> YEAH, SO HIS MATH ALSO SHOWS,
AS WE GO ON FROM HERE TO THE NEXT SEQUENCE, HIS MATH SHOWS AS
A GRAVITATIONAL WAVE RIPPLES BY ANYTHING, IT WILL STRETCH IT AND
COMPRESS IT. YOU SEE IT HAPPENING--
>> Stephen: LIKE THE EARTH. >> LIKE THE EARTH RIGHT HERE. >> Stephen: BECAUSE WE'RE A
PART OF THE FABRIC OF SPACE TIME YOU AND ME AND THE EARTH IS
STRETCHING AND COMPRESSING, ALONG WITH THE RIPPLING OF SPACE
TIME. >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. THE ONE THING, IS THIS IS
EXAGGERATE GLD I HOPE SO. >> A LITTLE BIT. >> Stephen: I HOPE SO, I HOPE
SO. >> THE RIPPLES WOULD ACTUALLY
CAUSE THE EARTH TO STRETCH AND COMPRESS BY LESS THAN AN ATOMIC
DIAMETER. >> Stephen: HOW DO YOU-- HOW
DO YOU MEASURE THAT? >> HOW DO YOU MEASURE THAT? >> Stephen: YES. THAT'S WHAT I SAID? >> YEAH. ( LAUGHTER ). >> YEAH, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE--
THOUSANDS OF SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR 40, 50
YEARS. THIS AMAZING TEAM OF
RESEARCHERS, LIGO, LASER INTERFEROMETER GRAVITATIONAL
WAVE OBSERVATORY, JUST TWO WEEKS AGO THEY ANNOUNCED THE FIRST
DETECTION OF THESE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES USING A SPECTACULAR PIECE
OF EQUIPMENT. THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO OF THEM,
ONE IN LOUISIANA AND THE ENERGY WASHINGTON STATE. >> Stephen: AND I UNDERSTAND
THIS INVOLVES LASERS. >> LASERS. IN FACT WE SLAILGT MODEL VERSION
OF IT HERE IF YOU WANT TO CHECK IT OUT. IN THIS DEVICE HERE-- IN FACT IF
WE BRING THE LIGHTS DOWN, IT WILL BE EASIER TO SEE. WE HAVE A LASER, RIGHT HERE,
THAT'S SENDING OUT A BEAM THAT THIS DEVICE HERE SPLITS INTO
TWO. AND YOU CAN SEE THEY GO THAT
DIRECTION TOWARD THE RIGHT, OUR RIGHT, AND THIS UPSTAGE OVER
HERE. >> Stephen: AT WHAT POINT DO I
PUT ON THE PINK FLOYD? >> LET'S DO IT NOW! >> Stephen: ANOTHER ALL RIGHT. >> SO IN THE REAL EXPERIMENT, IT
HITS A MIRROR THAT'S TWO AND A HALF MILES AWAY. >> Stephen: LIKE A
TWO-AND-A-HALF-MILE PIPE OR SOMETHING? >> A TWO-AND-A-HALF-MILE
EVACUATED PIPE, EXACTLY. WHEN THE LASER BOUNCES BACK IT
RECOMBINES, LIKE COMMINGLES, AND WHEN THEY COMMINGLE THEY CREATE
A VERY INTERESTING PATTERN. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE
TRIGHT HERE. >> Stephen: THERE IT IS. THERE IS AN IDEA OF THE PATTERN. >> YOU HAVE BRIGHT AREAS. THAT'S WHERE THE TWO BEAMS ARE
WORK TOGETHER. THE DARK AREAS ARE WHERE THE
BEAMS ARE CANCELLING EACH OTHER OUT. AND THAT INTERFERENCE PATTERN IS
ABSOLUTELY KEY. NOW, LET ME JUST SHOW YOU, SO IF
YOU BLOCK ONE OF THESE BEAMS RIGHT HERE, YOU SEE HOW THE
INTERFERENCE PATTERN GOES AWAY. THEY'RE NO LONGER COMMINGLING. IF I RELEASE IT, NOW YOU SEE
THAT THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO CREATE THAT PATTERN. >> Stephen: ALL RIGHT. >> BUT THE KEY THING IS THIS
PATTERN IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE DISTANCE THAT THE LASER BEAM
TRAVELS. SO IF A GRAVITATIONAL WAVE ROLLS
BY AND STRETCHES ONE DISTANCE RELATIVE TO ANOTHER --
>> EVEN JUST THE DISTANCE OF, LIKE, THE-- NOT THE DIAMETER OF
AN ATOM. >> THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S WHY THIS IS SUCH AN
AMAZING PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, THE REAL ONE, OF COURSE, THAT'S OUT
THERE. THIS IS JUST A MOD GLEL ANY
MOVEMENT IN THIS BEAM MAKES THAT PATTERN CHANGE. >> OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T DO IT HERE
WITH THE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES BUT WE CAN TRY IT, IF YOU'RE UP TO
TO, AN EXPERIMENT WITH SOUND WAVES. >>
>> Stephen: JUST YELL AT IT? >> WE'LL SEE IF IT SHIFTS. >> Stephen: SCIENCE! SCIENCE! >> WELL DONE, WELL DONE. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ). >> Stephen: SO, WHAT CAN WE
DO? NOW THAT WE KNOW THE
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES ARE BENDING SPACE TIME LIKE THIS, HOW CAN IT
LET US SEE THE UNIVERSE IN A DIFFERENT WAY? >> YOU KNOW LIGHT CAN BE
BLOCKED, RIGHT? IF I COVER MY FACE YOU DON'T SEE
ME ANY LONGER. >> Stephen: THAT'S VERY
FRIGHTENING. MEAS PLOOEZ DON'T DO THAT. >> CAN'T BLOCK GRAVITY, WHICH
MEANS GRAVITY CAN GO INTO PLACES IN THE UNIVERSE THAT LIGHT
CANNOT PENETRATE. >> Stephen: WHAT! >> YEAH. HOW DO YOU BLOCK GRAVITY? YOU ALWAYS FEELS THE EARTH'S
GRAVITY NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO. USING THE GRAVITATIONAL SUFFER
FASES WE MAY BE ABLE TO STUDY HOW BLACK HOLES COMBINE AND WE
MAY BE ABLE TO STUDY THE BIG BANG ITSELF. >> Stephen: THE SAME WAY YOU
CAN SET OFF A BOMB ON ONE SIDE OF THE EARTH ARE YOU CAN EASE A
SEISMOGRAPH TO ECHO MAP THE INSIDE OF THE PLANET, CAN HELP
US MAP THINGS WE CAN'T SEE? >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. THE DEVICE IS ONLY SENSITIVE TO
WAVES THE GRAVITY. IT'S SHIELDED FROM ORDINARY
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES. >> Stephen: WOW. >> AND IN FACT, YOU CAN ACTUALLY
IN IN SOME SENSE HEAR THE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES. THEY VIBRATE AT A FREQUENCY THAT
IF YOU TURN IT INTO SOUND, THE HUMAN AIR CAN HEAR. >> Stephen: SO LITERALLY,
THESE WAVES CAN BE TURNED INTO SOUND. >> THEY CAN. AND THESE ARE THE MOST
SPECTACULAR SOUNDS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THEY HERALD A
REVOLUTION IN OUR UNDERSTAND, OF THE UNIVERSE. >> Stephen: ANOTHER SO I
UNDERSTAND YOU BROUGHT ONE OF THESE SOUNDS WITH YOU. >> YEAH, YEAH, I DID. >> Stephen:S AND THIS THE
SOUND OF WHAT? WHAT ARE WE LISTENING TO? >> THIS IS THE SOUND OF TWO
BLACK HOLES COLLIDING. >> Stephen: THIS IS ACTUALLY A
COMPUTER RENDERING OF GRAVITATIONAL WAVES INTO SOUNDS. >> THIS IS A SIM LAIRKZ BUT THE
DATA AGREES WITH THE SIMULATION. >>
>> Stephen: THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD SOUND LIKE. >> THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD SOUND
LIKE. >> Stephen: DRUM ROLL PLEASE. ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: IS GOD BUGS BUNNY? WHAT IS THAT? >> BIG THINGS COME IN LITTLE
PACKAGES. THOSE SOUNDS ARE REALLY US
THINGS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE THAT WE HAVE NO OTHER WAY OF
DISCERNING. THOSE KINDS OF SOUNDS ARE THE
FUTURE OF STUDYING THE COSMOS. >> Stephen: WELL, THANK YOU
FOR BRINGING US THE FUTURE TONIGHT. BRIAN GREENE, WHAT A PLEASURE. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
GRAVITY WAVES. BRIAN GREENE. SCIENCE! SCIENCE!
Really well done demo.
One passionate dude.
It's so fucking great to see stuff like this on the Late Show, the producers are taking the show in a great direction now. It breaks the mold of all the other crap you used to see on late night tv, but it's still entertaining and interesting.
He was on Colbert a couple months ago, and gave one of the coolest answers I've ever seen:
https://youtu.be/0jjFjC30-4A?t=398
You gotta love Colbert. While simultaneously having fun with this you can tell he's really interested in it at the same time. With a lot of these media commentators you get a sense that they're just going through the motions of reading what they see off the teleprompter and that they're not comprehending what they're saying. Colbert easily picked up on how this phenomenon works and came up with something analogous right away (Using seismographic data gathered from waves generated by explosions and earthquakes to map places that we can't observe directly, like the interior of the Earth.).
"All around smarty pants" is listed on his resume.
Mixing science and comedy. This is the best explanation I've found about gravitational waves, and I also laughed at the underwhelming gravitational wave sound. Colbert, you've done it again.
Brian Greene is such an interesting person.
This was so much more clear than everything on Reddit the days after the discovery. It makes sense to me, now.