The goal of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Project is to detect and study astrophysical gravitational waves and use data from them for research in physics and astronomy. LIGO will support studies concerning the nature and nonlinear dynamics of gravity, the structures of black holes, and the equation of state of nuclear matter. It will also measure the masses, birth rates, collisions, and distributions of black holes and neutron stars in the universe and probe the cores of supernovae and the very early universe. The technology for LIGO has been developed during the past 20 years. Construction will begin in 1992, and under the present schedule, LIGO's gravitational-wave searches will begin in 1998.

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LIGO: The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.

Fiber ring interferometer.

Fiber ring interferometer

Part I. An Introduction to Gravitational Waves and Methods for their Detection: 1. Gravitational waves in general relativity D. G. Blair 2. Sources of gravitational waves D. G. Blair 3. Gravitational wave detectors D. G. Blair Part II. Gravitational Wave Detectors: 4. Resonant-bar detectors D. G. Blair 5. Gravity wave dewars W. O. Hamilton 6. Internal friction in high Q materials J. Ferreirinko 7. Motion amplifiers and passive transducers J. P. Richard 8. Parametric transducers P. J. Veitch 9. Detection of continuous waves K. Tsubono 10. Data analysis and algorithms for gravitational wave-antennas G. V. Paalottino Part III. Laser Interferometer Antennas: 11. A Michelson interferometer using delay lines W. Winkler 12. Fabry-Perot cavity gravity-wave detectors R. W. P. Drever 13. The stabilisation of lasers for interferometric gravitational wave detectors J. Hough 14. Vibration isolation for the test masses in interferometric gravitational wave detectors N. A. Robertson 15. Advanced techniques A. Brillet 16. Data processing, analysis and storage for interferometric antennas B. F. Schutz 17. Gravitational wave detection at low and very low frequencies R. W. Hellings.

The Detection of Gravitational Waves

Significant progress has been made in recent years on the development of gravitational wave detectors. Sources such as coalescing compact binary systems, low-mass X-ray binaries, stellar collapses and pulsars are all possible candidates for detection. The most promising design of gravitational wave detector uses test masses a long distance apart and freely suspended as pendulums on Earth or in drag-free craft in space. The main theme of this review is a discussion of the mechanical and optical principles used in the various long baseline systems being built around the world — LIGO (USA), VIRGO (Italy/France), TAMA 300 (Japan) and GEO 600 (Germany/UK) — and in LISA, a proposed space-borne interferometer.

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Gravitational Wave Detection by Interferometry (Ground and Space)

We have constructed and tested a laser interferometer transducer for a long, wideband, laser-linked gravitational radiation antenna. Photon-noise-limited performance was achieved using 80 microW from a single mode Spectra-Physics 119 laser in a modified Michelson interferometer on a vibration isolation table in a quiet room. A piezoelectric driver on one of the interferometer mirrors was used to generate subangstrom (3 x 10(-14)-m) vibrations of known amplitude. The measured displacement sensitivity of the system in the kilohertz region was 1.3 x 10(-14)m/Hz(1/2), which compares well with the calculated photon noise limit of 1.06 x 10(-14) m/Hz(1/2). This is the smallest vibrational displacement measured directly with a laser to date.

L. R. Miller

Papers

Photon-noise-limited laser transducer for gravitational antenna

Photon-noise-limited laser transducer for gravitational antenna.