Exploring the Dual Nature of Gravitational Waves

Gravitational waves, which have been observed and confirmed by experiments like LIGO, are believed to exhibit wave-like behavior. However, in order to fully understand their nature, scientists need to determine if they also exhibit particle-like behavior, known as wave-particle duality. While gravitational waves are expected to be composed of gravitons, the hypothetical particles that mediate the force of gravity, detecting the particle aspect of gravitational waves remains a challenge. Current gravitational wave detectors do not have the necessary sensitivity to probe the quantum effects that may arise during black hole mergers. Theorists are working on calculating these effects, while experimentalists are designing tests to explore the quantum nature of gravitational waves.