Nobel Prize in Physics (Robert W. Wilson)

Robert W. Wilson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978 for pioneering the design and construction of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). LIGO is a highly sensitive device that detects ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves, caused by massive cosmic events like merging black holes or neutron stars. Wilson’s work involved developing advanced laser and interferometry techniques, enabling scientists to observe phenomena predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. This groundbreaking discovery opened a new way to observe and understand the universe.