Presented in this seminar will be a summary of the results from Advanced LIGO's first observing run. Explanations will be given on how astrophysical information is extracted from gravitational-wave signals; this includes source parameters and implied rates of black hole mergers. The astrophysical and cosmological implications of the gravitational-wave detections and observations will be presented, such as the context of astrophysical models for binary black-hole formation as well as implications for testing general relativity in the strong-field regime. The ramifications of the limits set on a stochastic gravitational wave background will be summarized, for both cosmologically and astrophysically produced backgrounds. Finally, plans for future observations by LIGO, Virgo, and eventually KAGRA, will be given.

Carleton College