I have been reading about the discovery of gravitational waves and their significance in the field of physics. From what I understand, gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the universe, such as merging black holes or neutron stars.

However, I am curious about the specific effects that gravitational waves have on space-time. How exactly do these waves propagate through space, and what kind of distortions do they cause? Additionally, how are these distortions detected by observatories like LIGO and Virgo? I would appreciate a detailed explanation of the mechanism behind the generation, propagation, and detection of gravitational waves, as well as their impact on the surrounding space-time.