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Gov. Edwards Congratulates LIGO Physicists

http://gov.louisiana.gov/page/meet-the-governor
Governor John Bel Edwards congradulates physicists.

Gov. John Bel Edwards congratulated physicists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in Livingston Parish for being awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. LSU researchers at LIGO recorded, for the first time ever, the sound of two black holes colliding a billion light years away – demonstrating Einstein’s theory of relativity and proving black holes exist.

“LSU physicists right here in Louisiana grabbed international headlines when this monumental discovery was made for the first time,” said Gov. Edwards. “I want to congratulate LSU’s Adjunct Professor Rainer Weiss, as well as California Institute of Technology professor emeriti Kip Thorne and Barry Barish, on this incredible honor. LSU’s investment in gravitational-wave detection spans more than four decades across the development of several generations of gravitational wave detectors meaning a whole team of LSU scientists, staff and students helped make this discovery possible. This recognition in the Nobel Prize in Physics is in part an outcome of LSU's long-term dedication to scientific research and a testament to what our students and faculty in Louisiana can accomplish when we give them the tools to succeed.”