From December 16 to 18, 2017, Mr. Cai Ronggen, the academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Executive Deputy Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, visited Lanzhou University and offered his lecture at the School of Physical Science and Technology.

Invited by the School of Physical Science and Technology and the Cuiying Honors College. Mr. Cai was the first speaker of the “Enlightenment” serial forums. He presented on Dec. 18th the report entitled “General Relativity, Black Hole and Gravitational Wave” in the lecture hall of the Science Museum.

The forum was chaired by Professor Luo Honggang, Dean of the School of Physical Science and Technology. More than 120 teachers, graduate students, and undergraduates from the School of Physics and Cuiying Honors College attended the lecture.

Academician Cai Ronggen compared Newton's theory of gravity with Einstein's general theory of relativity, introduced the experimental verification of general relativity, and regarded general relativity as a very successful theory. According to him, black holes and gravitational waves are two fundamental predictions of general relativity.

After 100 years of unremitting efforts on the study of general relativity, said Cai, scientists finally detected gravitational waves directly on the world's most sophisticated experimental equipment. The double black hole and double neutron star merger events were observed. The discovery of gravitational waves has won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics.

At present, the detection of gravitational waves has entered the “new normalcy,” and the astronomical era of gravitational waves has arrived, said Cai. The detection of more bands of gravitational waves will help further test the general theory of relativity, explore the formation and structure of massive stars and black holes, and uncover the mystery of the origin and evolution of the universe. To this end, Europe, the United States, and China have respectively launched their space gravitational wave detection programs.

Academician Cai’s excellent report is a testimony to the scientific spirit demonstrated through studies on Newton’s theory of gravity, general relativity, black holes, as well as the detection of gravitational waves. It also showcased Academician Cai’s efforts in this scientific sphere.  

After the report, the teachers and students had a heated discussion and exchange with Academician Cai.

About the Enlightenment Forum

The Enlightenment Forum serves the purpose of promoting the scientific spirit, encouraging scientific research and innovation, and improving academic exchanges between the School of Physical Science and Technology and well-known scientists. It also aims to promote the development of the School of Physical Science and. Invited speakers at the forum include academicians from various fields of physics and relevant disciplines. They will introduce the frontier dynamics of relevant fields and share valuable experience in scientific research to encourage academic exchanges and communications among young scholars and students.