Mr. Daniel Kennefick, under the direction of Dr. Diana Barkan, is examining the history of theories of gravitational waves. The existence of gravitational waves was first proposed at the beginning of this century. Since there was no experimental or observational effect which called for explanation to justify their invention, the motivation seems to have been purely that of establishing a symmetry between gravitational theory and the unified electric and magnetic fields. Work was to continue throughout the century on developing the concept, despite the continuing absence of any experimental data until the 1970's. Undaunted, the theorists engaged in intense debate on the question of whether the radiation actually existed. Although some criticism was leveled at the discipline for being so divorced from experimental "reality," ironically the usual outside criticism was that the existence of gravitational radiation was being doubted without sufficient cause. It is this debate about the existence of gravity waves that has led to the biggest "big science" project at the National Science Foundation in a number of years: the gravity wave detector known as "LIGO." The purpose of this research is to examine the history of this controversy from the late 1930's to the early 1980's, especially in the light of current issues in the history and sociology of science. It offers a unique opportunity to witness the construction, deconstruction and reconstruction of a "physical" phenomenon entirely within a relatively small and purely theoretical community.
