The Search for Gravitational Waves

Abstract

Experiments aimed at searching for gravitational waves from astrophysical sources have been under development for the last 40 years, but only now are sensitivities reaching the level where there is a real possibility of detections being made within the next five years. In this article a history of detector development will be followed by a description of current detectors such as LIGO, VIRGO, GEO 600, TAMA 300, Nautilus and Auriga. Preliminary results from these detectors will be discussed and related to predicted detection rates for some types of sources. Experimental challenges for detector design are introduced and discussed in the context of detector developments for the future.

21 pages, 7 figures, accepted J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys

References in corpus (40)

• An increased estimate of the merger rate of double neutron stars from observations of a highly relativistic system
• Conversion of conventional gravitational-wave interferometers into QND interferometers by modifying their input and/or output optics
• Internal thermal noise in the LIGO test masses : a direct approach
• Bounding the mass of the graviton using gravitional-wave observations of inspiralling compact binaries
• Thermal noise in interferometric gravitational wave detectors due to dielectric optical coatings
• Tracing Black Hole Mergers Through Radio Lobe Morphology
• Quantum noise in second generation, signal-recycled laser interferometric gravitational-wave detectors
• Thermodynamical fluctuations and photo-thermal shot noise in gravitational wave antennae
• Gravitational wave astronomy
• Squeezing in the audio gravitational wave detection band
• Setting upper limits on the strength of periodic gravitational waves using the first science data from the GEO600 and LIGO detectors
• Analysis of LIGO data for gravitational waves from binary neutron stars
• Time Delay Interferometry with Moving Spacecraft Arrays
• Seismic gravity-gradient noise in interferometric gravitational-wave detectors
• Mechanical Loss in Tantala/Silica Dielectric Mirror Coatings
• Gravitational Wave Astronomy: in Anticipation of First Sources to be Detected
• First upper limits from LIGO on gravitational wave bursts
• Squeezed-input, optical-spring, signal-recycled gravitational-wave detectors
• Analysis of First LIGO Science Data for Stochastic Gravitational Waves
• Practical speed meter designs for QND gravitational-wave interferometers
• Dual-Resonator Speed Meter for a Free Test Mass
• Sagnac Interferometer as a Speed-Meter-Type, Quantum-Nondemolition Gravitational-Wave Detector
• Implementation of Time-Delay Interferometry for LISA
• Thermoelastic dissipation in inhomogeneous media: loss measurements and displacement noise in coated test masses for interferometric gravitational wave detectors
• Prospects for gravitational-wave observations of neutron-star tidal disruption in neutron-star/black-hole binaries
• Thermodynamical fluctuations in optical mirror coatings
• Operating LISA as a Sagnac interferometer
• Very high quality factor measured in annealed fused silica
• Thermal noise in half infinite mirrors with non-uniform loss: a slab of excess loss in a half infinite mirror
• Improving the sensitivity to gravitational-wave sources by modifying the input-output optics of advanced interferometers
• Study of the coincidences between the gravitational wave detectors EXPLORER and NAUTILUS in 2001
• Scalar radiation emitted from a source rotating around a black hole
• On the possible sources of gravitational wave bursts detectable today
• Atmospheric Gravity Perturbations Measured by Ground-Based Interferometer with Suspended Mirrors
• Matrix General Relativity: A New Look at Old Problems
• Squeezed Light for the Interferometric Detection of High Frequency Gravitational Waves
• Bounding the graviton mass with binary pulsar observations
• Numerical Relativity in 3+1 Dimensions
• Comments on the 2001 run of the EXPLORER/NAUTILUS gravitational wave experiment
• General Relativistic Numerical Simulation on Coalescing Binary Neutron Stars and Gauge-Invariant Gravitational Wave Extraction

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Multiple physical elements to determine the gravitational-wave signatures of core-collapse supernovae
• Gravitational Wave Signatures of Magnetohydrodynamically-Driven Core-Collapse Supernova Explosions
• Detecting massive gravitons using pulsar timing arrays
• Multimessengers from core-collapse supernovae: multidimensionality as a key to bridge theory and observation
• Two-slit diffraction with highly charged particles: Niels Bohr's consistency argument that the electromagnetic field must be quantized
• Effects of Rotation on Stochasticity of Gravitational Waves in Nonlinear Phase of Core-Collapse Supernovae
• Ray-Tracing Analysis of Anisotropic Neutrino Radiation for Estimating Gravitational Waves in Core-Collapse Supernovae
• Reducing the effect of thermal noise in optical cavities
• Absolute and relative stability of an optical frequency reference based on spectral hole burning in Eu${}^{3+}$:Y${}_2$SiO${}_5$
• Effects of mode degeneracy in the LIGO Livingston Observatory recycling cavity
• Gravitational Wave Signatures of Hyperaccreting Collapsar Disks
• No GW is emitted by B PSR1913+16
• About the Minimal Resolution of Space-Time Grains in Experimental Quantum Gravity
• Relativity and wavy motions
• Gravitational waves from BBH-systems? A (doubly) vain quest