Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
“The night that creates knowledge” 2016 at the Albert Einstein Institute Hannover
Talks and guided tours – delve into the fascinating world of gravitational physics on 12 November
October 10, 2016
What activities are scientists at the Leibniz Universität Hannover pursuing? What takes place behind the doors of laboratories and research facilities? On 12 November 2016 between 6 p.m. and 12 a.m. “The night that creates knowledge” will be held again in Hannover. Those interested can take a look behind the scenes of the research world and gain some unique insights into the work of the researchers. The Albert Einstein Institute will be taking part and will present talks, visits and the “Einstein Cinema” with short film documentaries about research projects.
Talks (in room 103)
6:15 p.m. Talk: Einstein’s universe – the general theory of relativity
Einstein presented his general theory of relativity for the first time about 100 years ago. It revolutionized our understanding of the universe and is one of the most thoroughly tested physical theories. This talk will explore the significance of time dilation and black holes and the theory of relativity’s significance in daily life. (Speaker: Stina Scheer)
7:15 p.m. Talk: LISA Pathfinder – technology for a gravitational wave observatory in space
On 3 December 2015, LISA launched Pathfinder from the European Space Port – an international technology demonstrator for gravitational wave measurement in space. With eLISA, an interferometer is to detect gravitational waves with millions of kilometres of laser arms stretching between three satellites by 2034. This requires completely new measurement technologies, which can only be comprehensively tested in space. You will find out in this talk whether the mission is working as planned. (Speaker: Andreas Wittchen)
8:15 p.m. Talk: The discovery of gravitational waves
In September 2015, Advanced LIGO detectors were used to detect gravitational waves for the first time. Decisive contributions from Hannover made it possible to measure the waves of two merging black holes. The talk gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the discovery of the century and the future of the era of astronomy that was thus initiated. (Speaker: Adjunct Prof. Dr. Benno Willke)
9:15 p.m. Talk (to be held in English): Looking into the depths of the cosmos
The first direct detection of gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO detectors in September 2015 marks the beginning of a new era of astronomy. With these ripples in space-time, predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, astronomers will soon observe the “dark side” of the cosmos – the gravitational universe. This talk looks at the first observation in the autumn of 2015 and at the future of gravitational wave astronomy. (Referent: Avneet Singh)
10:15 p.m. Talk: Discover pulsars with Einstein@Home
Neutron stars are extreme manifestations of celestial bodies that have their origins in the spectacular explosions of massive stars. Over 400,000 volunteers from around the world have already made use of the computing project Einstein@Home that has been disturbed in order to make use of idle time on home PCs and smartphones to search for these objects. This talk reveals how more than 70 new neutron stars have been discovered, how you can help and what we can thereby learn about the universe. (Speaker: Dr. Benjamin Knispel)
Tours (meeting point in the entryway)
6:15 p.m., 7:15 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. Visit the Atlas computer cluster (max. 20 people at a time)
Get a behind-the-scenes look at top research at the Atlas computer cluster at the Albert Einstein Institute. It is the world's most powerful mainframe computer used for gravitational wave data analysis and played a decisive role in the first direct detection of gravitational waves in September 2015. (Speaker: Dr. Carsten Aulbert)
Einstein Cinema (room 106)
6 p.m. to midnight Einstein Cinema (short research-related film documentaries)
During the “Night that creates knowledge”, various short films documentaries about the research at the Albert Einstein Institute are shown. Topics include the first direct detection of gravitational waves, LISA Pathfinder, eLISA and the gravitational wave detector GEO600.
Together with universities and research institutions, the state of Lower Saxony is developing a quantum computer for Germany by 2025. The AEI Hannover is taking part.
Invitation to an online exhibition with piano music. Due to the corona pandemic, public events in cultural and scientific fields have been canceled. The exhibition wants to offer a crossover between culture and science.
Public lectures, guided tours and an Einstein cinema – experience the exciting world of gravitational physics on 10th November from 6 p.m. until midnight
The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics will participate in the November of Science 2018 with four public lectures and two visits to the GEO600 gravitational-wave detector.
