Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. In June 2016, t

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. In June 2016, the LIGO group of scientists announced the detection of a second set of gravitational waves.
2. Gravitational waves were generated due to merger of two black holes at about 1.4 billion light-years distant.
3. Gravitational waves were inserted due to collision of two white dwarf stars at about 1.4 billion light-years distant.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

[amp_mcq option1=”1 only” option2=”1 and 2 only” option3=”2 and 3 only” option4=”1, 2 and 3″ correct=”option2″]

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CDS-1 – 2017

Statement 1 is correct; the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) collaboration announced the detection of the second set of gravitational waves (GW151226, detected in December 2015) in June 2016, following the historic first detection announcement (GW150914, detected in September 2015, announced Feb 2016). Statement 2 is correct; both the first and second gravitational waves detected by LIGO were attributed to the merger of two black holes. The second detection (GW151226) involved black holes estimated to be about 1.4 billion light-years away. Statement 3 is incorrect; the gravitational waves detected by LIGO up to that point were from the merger of stellar-mass black holes, not white dwarf stars. Mergers involving neutron stars were detected later.

Gravitational waves detected by LIGO in its initial phase were primarily generated by the violent merger of massive compact objects, specifically black holes.

The detection of gravitational waves provided strong evidence for Einstein’s theory of general relativity and opened up a new window for observing the universe, leading to the Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 for the founders of the LIGO project.

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