Detection method
Laser Interferometry
The technique behind the ground-based detectors: a laser beam is split down two perpendicular kilometre-scale arms and recombined, and a passing gravitational wave stretches one arm and squeezes the other by a fraction of a proton's width, shifting the interference pattern. LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA all work this way.
Highlights
- ›Measuring a change smaller than a proton's width
Detectors, messengers & sources
Across multi-messenger astronomy
Knowledge connections
- Associated withGEO600
- Associated withEinstein Telescope
- Associated withCosmic Explorer
- Associated withGravitational-Wave Detection
- Associated withInterferometry
- Associated withLIGO Hanford
- Associated withGravitational Waveform
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- LIGO Scientific CollaborationLIGO Scientific Collaboration & Virgo Collaboration
Direct detections of gravitational waves from compact-object mergers.