Actually if they detect gravitational waves (very difficult, but predicted by Einstein) it will be a major scientific breakthrough in support of the theory of relativity. Exciting times indeed!!!:BigThumb:
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Could do!!!! They have only a very limited knowledge of this but being guided by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity (GR) it could lead to the discovery of a curvature of space time or as you bluntly put it "travel through time warps". Google it up (I'm sure you already have) it makes interesting reading although very hard to follow.
Gravitational waves are caused by the collision of neutron stars or black holes and are very minute and hard to see. If space appears as a flat lake (for example) gravitational waves would appear as very minute waves on that lake but you would have to look very hard to see them and up to this point our instrumentation has not been sensitive enough and also gravitational waves are not part of the electromagnetic spectrum in the way that radio waves or X-rays are.
Astronomers are convinced gravitational waves exist but they have to be detected to be proven.
All complex stuff, Bob. I am only an interested amateur follower of this and I am struggling to fully comprehend it all, after all Einstein was a genius. I am just a mere human being.:D