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LIGO: The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory
Reports on Progress in Physics
  • B. P. Abbott, California Institute of Technology
  • R. Abbott, California Institute of Technology
  • R. Adhikari, California Institute of Technology
  • P. Ajith, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
  • B. Allen, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
  • G. Allen, Stanford University
  • R. S. Amin, Louisiana State University
  • S. B. Anderson, California Institute of Technology
  • W. G. Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  • M. A. Arain, University of Florida
  • M. Araya, California Institute of Technology
  • H. Armandula, California Institute of Technology
  • P. Armor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  • Y. Aso, California Institute of Technology
  • S. Aston, University of Birmingham
  • P. Aufmuth, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
  • C. Aulbert, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
  • S. Babak, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
  • P. Baker, Montana State University
  • S. Ballmer, California Institute of Technology
  • C. Barker, LIGO Hanford
  • D. Barker, LIGO Hanford
  • B. Barr, University of Glasgow
  • P. Barriga, The University of Western Australia
  • L. Barsotti, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • M. A. Barton, California Institute of Technology
  • I. Bartos, Columbia University in the City of New York
  • R. Bassiri, University of Glasgow
  • M. Bastarrika, University of Glasgow
  • B. Behnke, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
  • M. Benacquista, University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
  • Tiffany Z. Summerscales, Andrews University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2009
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 1021. With this unprecedented sensitivity, the data are being analyzed to detect or place limits on GWs from a variety of potential astrophysical sources. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/72/7/076901
First Department
Physics
Citation Information
B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, R. Adhikari, P. Ajith, et al.. "LIGO: The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory" Reports on Progress in Physics Vol. 72 Iss. 7 (2009)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/tiffany_summerscales/182/