Einstein's Unfinished Symphony
Listening to the Sounds of Space-Time

Hardcover published by Joseph Henry Press, 2000
Paperback published by Berkley Books, 2003

Winner of the 2001 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Prize

A New York Times "Notable Book"
A Washington Post Book World "Rave"
A U.S. News & World Report "Top Pick"
A Library Journal "Best Sci-Tech Book 2000"

    A new generation of observatories, now being completed worldwide, will give astronomers not just a new window on the cosmos but a whole new sense with which to explore and experience the heavens above us. Instead of collecting light waves or radio waves, these novel instruments will allow astronomers to at last place their hands upon the fabric of space-time and feel the very rhythms of the universe.

Listen to the sounds of space-time! Click here


    These vibrations in space-time--or gravity waves--are the last prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity yet to be observed directly. They are his unfinished symphony, waiting nearly a century to be heard. When they finally reveal themselves to astronomers, we will for the first time be able to hear the cymbal crashes from exploding stars, tune in to the periodic drumbeats from swiftly rotating pulsars, listen to the extended chirps from the merger of two black holes, and eavesdrop on the remnant echoes from the mighty jolt of the Big Bang itself.

    When Einstein introduced general relativity in 1915, it was hailed as a momentous conceptual achievement. Einstein attained celebrity status. But, once scientists verified what they could of the theory, given the scant experiments available at the time, general relativity became largely a theoretical curiosity. Now, after decades of technological advancement, general relativity is being tested with unprecedented accuracy. It even affects our everyday lives. Satellites used by both travelers and soldiers to peg their positions require constant corrections of Einsteinian precision. Meanwhile, the first gravity-wave "telescopes" are about to come alive.

    In Einstein's Unfinished Symphony, Bartusiak captures the excitement as two gravity-wave observatories in Louisiana and Washington State, as well as others in Italy, Germany, Japan, and Australia, approach operation and physicists gear up to begin their work to register the long-predicted quakes in space-time. With each chapter, Bartusiak extends her musical metaphor in tracing the story of general relativity, from the time "Maestro" Einstein enters physics, through the "Starlight Waltz" of neutron stars twisting space-time around themselves, to the "Dissonant Chords" of controversy as physicists fight to get their radically new observatories approved, through the "Finale" as a worldwide endeavor in gravity-wave astronomy is launched.


Critical Response

•   "... Einstein's Unfinished Symphony is her best [book] yet....a gripping story about real people and real events that makes science come alive; if you want to know what happens at the cutting edge of research today, this is certainly a good place to find out.... Einstein's Unfinished Symphony gives you a ringside seat at what is likely to be the next great revolution in astronomy."

John Gribbin, The Washington Post


•   "In Einstein's Unfinished Symphony, Marcia Bartusiak tells the story of a discovery waiting to be made. The cutting edge of science is not about the completely unknown. It is found where we understand just enough to ask the right questions or build the right instrument. Bartusiak, a freelance science writer for many years, tells this story in a breezy but careful style that is informative and easy to read. And, she has quite a good story to tell, even aside from the purely scientific part. When a gravity wave is first detected, the reader of this book will feel like a participant in the great event."

David Goodstein, The New York Times Book Review


•   "...science writing at its best.  Einstein's Unfinished Symphony is an excellent account of the struggle to detect gravitational waves....her interviews with the leading lights in the gravitational-wave community reveal that it takes huge amounts of ingenuity, optimism, and sheer pigheadedness to stay in the field."

Valerie Jamieson, The Times Higher Education Supplement


•   "Einstein is hot this year ... cross-promotion of related titles will boost sales of this graceful little book about the mysterious subject. Bartusiak has been writing about gravity waves for more than a decade, and her familiarity with the search and the scientists involved results in a thorough, engrossing and valuable chronicle"

Publishers Weekly


•   "Bartusiak does a grand job of highlighting the challenges involved in this staggeringly demanding project [and] has a gift for apt metaphors, talking evocatively of being able to detect the 'cymbal crashes' of exploding stars, the 'drumbeat' of a swiftly spinning pulsar and the 'glissando' of two black holes merging into one another. Best of all, Bartusiak gives a sense of the ebb and flow of confidence among scientists trying to hunt down gravitational waves. Governments have handed a small group of scientists hundreds of millions of dollars to build vast devices that have only a slim chance of detecting a phenomenon we already know exists. I came away from Bartusiak's nicely judged account of this awe-inspiring project feeling that as long as researchers still devote their lives to such long shots, and governments continue to fund them, there is still hope for the scientific enterprise."

Robert Matthews, New Scientist


•   "I found it harder to put down than some mystery novels....When the new field of gravitational-wave astronomy is born, you will appreciate not only the tremendous gambles in careers, taxpayer money, and engineering that went into its creation, but also the new baby's astonishing potential to change our view of the universe. This book really has no competition, nor does it need any."

E. Sterl Phinney, Sky & Telescope


•   "Veteran science writer Bartusiak spins this complicated technical subject into a riveting narrative....Her clear writing and thorough understanding of the science and personalities behind her topic make her book as absorbing as any film."

Science News


•   "This is epic storytelling....The narrative is direct and even understated, often resembling John McPhee at his lean best....It is uncertain when or if a detectable wave will be found, but like prospectors in search of gold, scientists endure. Showing this is how Bartusiak shows us that humanity, the mortal ego, is an element of science."

John-Henry Doucette, The Virginian-Pilot       


•   "Einstein's Unfinished Symphony provides a delightful and clearly written survey of the physics, the hopes, and the fears of the gravity wave community. You do not need to be an expert in general relativity to appreciate Bartusiak's account, which anyone with a basic grounding in science will benefit from, and enjoy, reading."

Matt Visser, Science


•   "The route to LIGO was long and checkered; it is beautifully recounted by Marcia Bartusiak in her latest book, Einstein's Unfinished Symphony. Bartusiak is a distinguished science journalist with a reputation for detail and accuracy, and her new book is no exception. She has clearly made a great effort to interview all major players in the field, scan the literature, and capture the relevant science. What results is an easy-to-read and clear exposition...."

Lawrence M. Krauss, Physics Today


•   "...Marcia Bartusiak is our guide on an intriguing scientific quest spanning nearly a century. Much more than a museum tour, this is a story of passionate, intelligent individuals who yearn for a deeper understanding of the universe....Bartusiak's lively style illuminates the contributions of physicists...and leaves the reader rooting for scientists around the world who wait eagerly and patiently for the universe to play them a tune."

Astronomy Magazine


•   "[An] illuminating history....Bartusiak is adept at making the nuances of general relativity comprehensible....Einstein's Unfinished Symphony is understandable even to readers who lack a background in astronomy or physics....Einstein shines and Bartusiak's book resonates with optimism."

Ryder W. Miller, Mercury Magazine, Astronomical Society of the Pacific


•   "Bartusiak gives a good picture of the work of scientists and the obstacles, financial and political, as well as practical and theoretical, that they must undergo.... portray[s] Einstein as the epitome of genius, the well-deserving Man of the Century."

Nancy Schapiro, St. Louis Post-Dispatch


•   "Bartusiak shows the reader the real world of science, where hypotheses are championed or challenged by people equipped not only with powerful minds but also courageous visions, fragile egos, and ample eccentricenties.... generous with anecdotes.... poetic..."

Jean Shea, Minneapolis Star Tribune


•   "Bartusiak excitingly relates the hunt for proof of the gravity waves predicted by Einstein. The existence of these "spacequakes" would not only confirm the theory of relativity but also allow scientists to listen to the sounds of the Big Bang."

Discover magazine


•   "A beautiful history of gravitational-wave physics, full of carefully researched science and engaging portraits of scientists--elegant, straightforward, and clear."

Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams


•   "Marcia Bartusiak has done it again. Her passion for probing the frontiers of cosmic discovery has now led to Einstein's Unfinished Symphony, an account of the physicist's ongoing quest to detect gravity waves--the last experimental test of Einstein's theory of relativity. Along the way, the reader is treated to a narrative that makes you feel as though you have front-row orchestra seats."

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director, Hayden Planetarium, New York City


•   "Hang on tight and lean into the curves of space-time as Marcia Bartusiak takes you surfing through the world of gravitational waves. You'll meet the fountain-pen theorists and dirty-fingernail experimenters who are straining together to open a great new window on the Universe. Will they succeed? Nobody knows. But Marcia Bartusiak shines a laser beam of intelligence down the long dark tunnels of their work so you can share in the fun of these scientific adventure."

Robert P. Kirshner, Professor of Astronomy, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics


•   "A wonderful portrayal of the conflicting emotions of doubt and certainty in the scientists' minds as they tell themselves repeatedly that Einstein has to be right. This is a very high stakes game and the players are, in many ways, gamblers. Their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses are engagingly constructed and artfully told."

David DeVorkin, Curator, History of Astronomy and the Space Sciences, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution


•   "Marcia Bartusiak brings to vivid life the people and personalities, the challenges and controversies surrounding the hunt for gravitational waves. This is a sneak preview of what gravitational-wave astronomy will be all about."

Clifford M. Will, author of Was Einstein Right?


•   "The universe is trying to tell us something--something fundamental--about how it came to be. Some very ingenious scientists, picking up where Albert Einstein left off are trying to listen. Fortunately, we have an insightful and clear-voiced guide to lead us on this grand intellectual adventure: Marcia Bartusiak."

Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon


•   "Bartusiak leads us deftly through the mind- and space-bending concepts of relativity and gives us a glimpse into the future of cosmological discovery."

Michael Lemonick, Time magazine science editor and author of Other Worlds: The Search for Life in the Universe


Copyright 2000-2009 by Marcia Bartusiak