Izvleček
Z odmevnim odkritjem gravitacijskih valov leta 2015 so hkrati tudi nedvoumno potrdili obstoj črnih lukenj. V članku na elementarnem nivoju predstavimo teoretske osnove splošne teorije relativnosti, ki so pomembne za razumevanje nastanka in detekcije gravitacijskih valov in lastnosti črnih lukenj. Na nekaj zgledih ocenimo značilne velikosti količin, povezanih z izviri valovanja, in poudarimo podobnosti in razlike med elektromagnetnim in gravitacijskim valovanjem. Ob tem pojasnimo, zakaj so ravno črne luknje praktično edini možni izvir valovanja, ki ga je mogoče zaznati.
Abstract
Gravitational Waves
The resounding discovery of gravitational waves in 2015 has also confirmed beyond doubt the existence of black holes. This article presents on an elementary level the theoretical foundations of general relativity necessary to understand the origin and detection of gravitational waves, as well as some properties of black holes. A few examples are used to asses some typical quantities related to the source of the waves, and the similarities and differences between electromagnetic and gravitational waves are highlighted. This helps us to understand why black holes are essentially the sole candidates for sources of detectable gravitational waves.