Stuff happens

Find out what gravitational waves will tell us about the Universe: from understanding its birth to figuring out whether black holes have hairs.

Find out about the heroic effort that led to the detection of gravitational waves and the excitement of their discovery.

How does LIGO detect gravitational waves? Here is a quick introduction.

Gravitational waves have opened a new window on the Universe. Find out what they are, how they were detected, and what they promise to reveal.

Since the detection of gravitational waves we know for sure that black holes do exist. To understand what really goes on inside them we need a new theory.

Leslie Lamport explains how he used logical clocks to set history straight in distributed systems.

Is the Universe digital, just like the world of computers? Discuss!

Leslie Lamport explains how an understanding of special relativity helped him realise how to order events in computer science, and enabled the development of distributed computing.

My view of the events taking place on my computer is very different to how a computer scientist, a engineer or a physicist would view what is happening inside the box. Leslie Lamport explains how the definition of an event distinguishes between these areas of research.

Our digital lives rely on distributed computer systems, such as the internet, but understanding the order of events in such systems is not always straightforward.

Our digital lives rely on distributed computer systems, such as the network of banks that allow us to deposit cash in one place and withdraw it in another. But understanding the order of events in such systems is not always straightforward.

We all know what we mean when we say that something has happened — well, all except for theoretical physicists. That's because the notion of a "happening" becomes fuzzy when you go down to the foundations of the science. Find out more with these articles and videos.