The Virgo 3 km interferometer for gravitational wave detection

The Virgo 3 km interferometer for gravitational wave detection

VIRGO, a French-Italian collaboration located in Cascina (Pisa, Italy) aiming at the detection of gravitational waves, is a ground based power recycled Michelson interferometer, which arms are 3-km-long Fabry-Perot suspended cavities. The VIRGO first scientific data taking has started in mid may 2007 in coincidence with the corresponding American detectors. The optical scheme of the interferome...

Inertial control of the mirror suspensions of the VIRGO interferometer for gravitational wave detection

interferometric gravitational wave detectors must be isolated from seismic noise. The VIRGO vibration isolator, called superattenuator, is fully effective at frequencies above 4 Hz. Nevertheless, the residual motion of the mirror at the mechanical resonant frequencies of the system are too large for the interferometer locking system and must be damped. A multidimensional feedback system, using ...

Interferometer techniques for gravitational-wave detection

Several km-scale gravitational-wave detectors have been constructed world wide. These instruments combine a number of advanced technologies to push the limits of precision length measurement. The core devices are laser interferometers of a new kind; developed from the classical Michelson topology these interferometers integrate additional optical elements, which significantly change the propert...

Sagnac interferometer for gravitational-wave detection.

We have investigated a zero-area Sagnac interferometer as a broad band gravitational-wave detector. Frequency response measurements of a laboratory-scale interferometer are in excellent agreement with theory. The measured contrast ratio, 0.996, is insensitive to induced birefringence, laser-frequency variation, arm imbalance, and dc mirror displacement. A near shot-noise-limited phase sensitivi...

Publisher Correction: Interferometer techniques for gravitational-wave detection