This book introduces the concepts of gravitational waves within the context of general relativity. The sources of gravitational radiation for which there is direct observational evidence and those of a more speculative nature are described. He then gives a general introduction to the methods of detection. In the subsequent chapters he has drawn together the leading scientists in the field to give a comprehensive practical and theoretical account of the physics and technology of gravitational wave detection.

All of us share a common yearning to understand our place in the universe. For countless millennia we looked at the stars, the land and ourselves, and wove explanations that involved unseen forces and unseen beings. In recent times, science has allowed us to look back to almost the beginning of time13.7 billion years ago, providing us with an amazing story of discovery. A story that reveals a cosmos of violent recycling and beauty, of unimaginable magnitude, a universe driven by mysterious dark energy that is expanding at an accelerating rate to its ultimate demise, far, far into the future....