Projects per year
Abstract
The goal of the Laser Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is to detect and study gravitational waves (GWs) of astrophysical origin. Direct detection of GWs holds the promise of testing general relativity in the strong-field regime, of providing a new probe of exotic objects such as black holes and neutron stars and of uncovering unanticipated new astrophysics. LIGO, a joint Caltech-MIT project supported by the National Science Foundation, operates three multi-kilometer interferometers at two widely separated sites in the United States. These detectors are the result of decades of worldwide technology development, design, construction and commissioning. They are now operating at their design sensitivity, and are sensitive to gravitational wave strains smaller than one part in 10(21). With this unprecedented sensitivity, the data are being analyzed to detect or place limits on GWs from a variety of potential astrophysical sources.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 076901- |
Journal | Reports on Progress in Physics |
Volume | 72 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2009 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'LIGO: the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Birmingham Astrophysics - Rolling Grant 2007-2012
Ponman, T., Cruise, M., Freise, A., Raychaudhury, S., Smith, G., Speake, C., Stevens, I. & Vecchio, A.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL
1/04/07 → 31/03/12
Project: Research Councils