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LIGO

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The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory ( LIGO ) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. Two large observatories were built in the United States with the aim of detecting gravitational waves by laser interferometry. These observatories use mirrors spaced four kilometers apart which are capable of detecting a change of less than one ten-thousandth the charge diameter of a proton. The initial LIGO observatories were funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and were conceived, built and are operated by Caltech and MIT. They collected data from 2002 to 2010 but no gravitational waves were detected. The Advanced LIGO Project to enhance the original LIGO detectors began in 2008 and continues to be supported by the NSF, with important contributions from the United Kingdom's Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Max Planck Society of Ger...
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Observatories

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LIGO operates two gravitational wave observatories in unison: the LIGO Livingston Observatory ( 30°33′46.42″N 90°46′27.27″W  /  30.5628944°N 90.7742417°W  / 30.5628944; -90.7742417 ) in Livingston, Louisiana, and the LIGO Hanford Observatory, on the DOE Hanford Site ( 46°27′18.52″N 119°24′27.56″W  /  46.4551444°N 119.4076556°W  / 46.4551444; -119.4076556 ), located near Richland, Washington. These sites are separated by 3,002 kilometers (1,865 miles) straight line distance through the earth, but 3,030 kilometers (1,883 miles) over the surface. Since gravitational waves are expected to travel at the speed of light, this distance corresponds to a difference in gravitational wave arrival times of up to ten milliseconds. Through the use of trilateration, the difference in arrival times helps to determine the source of the wave, especially when a third similar instrument like Virgo, located at an even greater distance in Europe, is added. Each observatory supports an L-shaped ultra ...
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