Outstanding physicist Gabriela González will give a keynote talk at the inauguration of the UNAB Institute of Astrophysics

Pamela Alarcón, UNAB Journalist.- On February 11, 2016, Gabriela González, then director of the Laser Interferometry Gravitational-waves Observatory (LIGO)along with scientists Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne, announced to the world that they had detected gravitational waves, confirming what Albert Einstein had theorized a century earlier.

This incredible milestone in science earned the three researchers responsible the Nobel Prize in Physics and worldwide recognition for the LIGO observatory and the physicist and astronomer Gabriela González for his leadership.

“Among other things, the LIGO gravitational wave experiment, combined with astronomical observations, taught us how elements like gold were produced in the Universe. It is appropriate to say that Gabriela González is a golden visitor and it is a great honor that her first visit to Chile is for our inauguration,” said the Dr. Dante Minniti, director of the UNAB Institute of Astrophysics.

The outstanding physicist, academic, and researcher from Louisiana State University will visit Chile for the first time as part of the inauguration of the new Institute of Astrophysics of the Andrés Bello University. On the occasion she Dra. González will give the keynote talk “Astronomy with Gravitational Waves”appointment to be held on Thursday, May 25 at 11:00 a.m. in the President José María Aznar Auditorium of the Casona de Las Condes Campus (Fernández Concha 700, Las Condes).

The instance will also have a streaming transmission through the YouTube channel UNABTV, in this link.

The guests at the inauguration will also be able to enjoy a photographic exhibition of the landscapes and skies of Chile of the outstanding astronomer and astrophotographer, Dr. Yuri Beletsky, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science. The exhibition, installed in the side corridors of the old Casona, will remain open to the public until June 9.

Fascinating surprises from the Universe

Gabriela González is originally from Córdoba, Argentina, where she graduated in Physics from the National University of Córdoba, before emigrating to the United States, where she completed her doctorate at Syracuse University.

She is known primarily for her contributions to the research on gravitational waves and for leading the LIGO scientific collaboration between 2011 and 2017, when they achieved their greatest scientific milestone.

For her, understanding the Universe is something that has always fascinated humanity. “We have all looked at the sky as children wondering what the stars are and astrophysics has brought us fascinating surprises: the universe is expanding, which means that it had a beginning; the black holes that Einstein’s theory predicted, but he didn’t believe existed, do exist; stars explode, and some leave black holes in their place,” explains Dr. González, adding that all these discoveries began by seeking answers to other questions—just like the discovery of gravitational waves.

In his masterful talk “Astronomy with Gravitational Waves”, the Argentine physicist will describe the details of the detected waves and the methods used for their search, as well as the prospects for improving the sensitivity of the detectors in the coming years. In this sense, the researcher points out:

Modern astrophysics is based on wonderful instruments, many of them located in Chile to take advantage of its crystal clear skies. These instruments have discovered a universe full of movement and bursts, as well as many, many planetary systems in our galaxy.

In his opinion, in the next few years, details could be discovered about the planets in our solar system, about the life and death of stars, about the most compact stars that exist -those with neutrons- and black holes, about how it was the newborn universe, the formation of galaxies like ours, and whether there are signs of life on other planets.

“For all this, instruments are needed that look at the sky from Earth and from satellites, at all wavelengths. And, of course, theoretical astrophysicists are needed to understand the observations and, above all, to propose solutions to surprises”, says Gabriela González, evaluating positively the creation of the new UNAB Institute of Astrophysics.

Contributing to astronomy in Chile

He Institute of Astrophysics of the Andrés Bello University is a new scientific research and academic training unit that operates at Campus Casona, under the direction of the Faculty of Exact Sciences and under the direction of the prominent astronomer, academic and researcher Dr. Dante Minniti.

“In this Universe we have a lot to discover. At the Institute of Astrophysics we contribute our grain of sand to the development of astronomy in the country by carrying out cutting-edge research activities, training advanced human capital and disseminating quality science for the whole of society”, indicated Minniti.

With a hallmark rooted in excellence, internationality, and diversity, this unit carries out high-impact research in the areas of planetary sciences, stellar, galactic, extragalactic astrophysics, and cosmology, among others, also addressing interdisciplinary issues of future astronomy.

night landscapes

The inauguration of the UNAB Institute of Astrophysics also contemplates the beautiful photographic exhibition “Nightscapes of Chile: a majestic exhibition”, the result of the work of Yuri Beletsky, professional astronomer and award-winning astrophotographer at the Carnegie Institution for Science, based in Chile. There he conducts scientific research and maintains the modern astronomical instrumentation of the Las Campanas Observatory.

Dr. Beletsky has been documenting the wonders of our country’s night sky for more than 15 years. On this occasion he presents a collection of astrophotography and images captured mainly in observatories located in the Atacama desert.

Carefully curated, the collection offers a spectacular view of the night sky, portraying wonders of the cosmos with precision and artistic finesse. In his images he captures the splendor of the Milky Way, bright stars, the moon and the sun, among others, captivating the public.

It should be noted that his work is recognized worldwide, being published in various books and media. Likewise, he is an active collaborator of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)having more than 50 featured images on this NASA website.