Prof. Laura Cadonati – University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Title: “LIGO and its progress towards gravitational wave astronomy”
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has the ambitious goal of the first direct detection of gravitational waves, tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time generated by accelerating masses, as predicted by General Relativity. Their detection will provide a fundamental, new tool to probe the universe, with information on supernovae, colliding black holes and rotating neutron stars.
LIGO uses laser interferometers to monitor changes in the relative separation of mirrors at the ends of each of two perpendicular arms of km-scale length, in response to the space-time distortions induced by the passage of gravitational waves, like ears listening to the distant birth cries and death songs of stars. This talk will give an overview of the status and the science of LIGO, with selected results from its initial phase and expected reach for the advanced LIGO configuration.