Gravitational-Wave Detectors above 10Hz: Weber Bars, LIGO, GEO, VIRGO, TAMA, LCGT, and Einstein Telescope

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• Kip S Thorne, The Feyman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Caltech, USA
• Wednesday 19 May 2010, 16:00-17:00
• Pippard Lecture Theatre, Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Leona Hope-Coles.

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Thorne will describe sources of gravitational waves above about 10Hz (neutron stars, black holes, cosmic strings, ...) and the two types of detectors that are being used to search for those waves: Weber bars, and optical interferometers. The first generation interferometers (initial LIGO , initial Virgo, GEO600 , TAMA300) are nearing completion of their data collection and are producing astrophysically interesting results, but no detections as yet. The second generation (advanced LIGO , advanced VIRGO , GEO-HF and LCGT ) have begun construction or will do so soon, and have a high probability of detecting a wide variety of sources. R&D for the third generation (LIGO-III, Einstein Telescope) is now underway. By changing the experimental protocol but not the apparatus, the second and third generation interferometers may also be used to study quantum behavior of human-sized objects—- e.g. quantum entanglement of 40 kg masses several kilometers apart, and “Schrodinger-cat” quantum states.

This talk is part of the Scott Lectures series.

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