What is LIGO and how does it work?

What is LIGO and how does it work?

It is the world’s largest gravitational wave observatory and a marvel of precision engineering. Comprising two enormous laser interferometers located 3000 kilometers apart, LIGO exploits the physical properties of light and of space itself to detect and understand the origins of gravitational waves (GW).

How does LIGO work to detect gravitational waves?

LIGO currently consists of two interferometers, each with two 4 km (2.5 mile) long arms arranged in the shape of an “L”. These instruments act as ‘antennae’ to detect gravitational waves.

How does LIGO detect black holes?

As an antenna able to detect vibrations in the ‘medium’ of space-time, LIGO is akin to a human ear able to detect vibrations in a medium like air or water. This is the way in which LIGO has opened a new ‘window’ on the universe. Things like colliding black holes are utterly invisible to EM astronomers.

How does LIGO measure distance?

Each houses a large-scale interferometer, a device that uses the interference of two beams of laser light to make the most precise distance measurements in the world. The animation begins with a simplified depiction of the LIGO instrument.