1. Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory Who? Presented By: Bonnie Wooley

2. Funded by: National Science Foundation ($292 million) Managed by: California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Who? MIT Caltech

3. Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory A device to detect gravitational waves and its use to probe the universe has been a dream of theoretical physicists for several decades LIGO is such a device. I should detect gravitational waves from sources such as black-hole collisions, the pulsations of newborn neutron stars resulting from supernovae explosions, and the background remnants of the Big Bang itself. GalaxySuper Nova Binary Neutron Star System What ?

6. 1996 Construction Underway (mostly civil) 1997 Facility Construction (vacuum system) 1998 Interferometer Construction (complete facilities) 1999 Construction Complete (interferometers in vacuum) 2000 Detector Installation (commissioning subsystems) 2001 Commission Interferometers (first coincidences) 2002 Sensitivity studies (initiate LIGO I Science Run) 2003+ LIGO I data run (one year integrated data) 2006+ Begin ‘Advanced LIGO’ installation When ?

7. Hanford, Washington Where ? Livingston, Louisiana

8. AGIO Other Facilities Around the World Where ? LSC (LIGO Scientific Collaboration) 44 collaborating groups; 400 collaborators

9. How ? 4 Kilometers (~5 miles Long) Shape of “L”

10. How ?

13. LASER Infrared Pre-Stabilized 10 watts YAG OPTICS Fused Silica

14. Optic & Instrument Chambers

18. DESIGN LIMITS

19. PROGRESS

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