In
physics,
gravitational waves are ripples in the
curvature of
spacetime which propagate as
waves, travelling outward from the source. Predicted in 1916 by
Albert Einstein on the basis of his theory of
general relativity, gravitational waves theoretically transport energy as
gravitational radiation. Sources of detectable gravitational waves could possibly include
binary star systems composed of
white dwarfs,
neutron stars, or
black holes. The existence of gravitational waves is a possible consequence of the
Lorentz invariance of
general relativity since it brings the concept of a limiting speed of propagation of the physical interactions with it. Gravitational waves cannot exist in the Newtonian theory of gravitation, in which physical interactions propagate at infinite speed.