First proposed by scientist Albert Einstein along with his theory of general relativity, gravi­tational waves are perplexing and imperceptible undulations that coincide within the space-time continuum. These highly theoretical waves are formed from bodies of accelerating masses, most likely heavy mass systems such as super massive black holes or neutron stars that collide with each other. Since these waves interact negligibly with matter, attempting to locate the ripples they form are hereby extremely difficult. As such, various experiments that are currently held, involving the use of lasers throughout earth and space, have been unsuccessful.

Another method for unveiling the myster­ies of these gravitation waves was the use of NASA’s Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), in order to find any proofs of unknown physics that affect the subatomic level of forces. Jet formation theory states that magnetic fields that surround the accretion disk of supermassive black holes somehow transfer the matter buildup from the inner shells of the accretion disk into the poles of the black holes. The transposed mat­ter then accelerates away from the accretion disk outwards towards the poles in an accumulated jet formation, then colliding with other matter, most likely from the collision of other supermassive black holes, within the region to create gamma rays. The theory behind it was to utilize the gamma rays that have been expelled from the X-ray jets of the black holes in order to capture emissions of Einstein’s gravitational waves from these accelerating mass systems.

The latest method was proposed by Barry McKernan, an astrophysicist from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, who claimed that traces of these gravi­tational waves can possibly be de­tected from the brightening of stars. Rejecting the previous notion that gravitational waves interact negligibly with matter, McKernan hypothesized that these waves vibrate at the same frequency as certain stars do, allowing the stars to accumulate large amounts of energy from the ripples of the waves. As the stars receive more energy from the ripples, the brighter they will be. The key to detecting these waves, as McKernan states, is to observe a population of stars near a system of merging black holes, in which the heaviest stars will become brighter first, followed by the bright­ening of smaller stars, indicating the presence of gravitational waves.