Advanced LIGO subsystems
are the organizational units of the overall project. Follow the links below to view the mission and progress of each subsystem.
Auxiliary Optics | Core Optics |
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Data Acquisition | Data and Computing Systems |
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Facilities Modifications |
Input Optics |
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Interferometer Control |
Pre-Stabilized Laser |
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Seismic Isolation |
Suspensions |
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Advanced LIGO News
Suspensions Team Tests Monolithic Pendulum
May 2010
The photo shows the successful hanging of a large glass blank in an Advanced LIGO quadruple suspension at LIGO-MIT's LASTI Lab. Click on the image for an enlarged view and you'll see the 40-kg lower mass hanging from the upper mass by a set of four glass fibers, two on each side. At their thinnest point the fibers are less than a millimeter in diameter. The suspension is termed 'monolithic,' meaning that the upper (penultimate) mass, the suspension fibers and the lower (test) mass are composed of a single material, fused silica. This test suspension was hung during the last week of May, 2010. After completing the fiber welding process, the LASTI team verified the integrity of the monolithic structure then returned the quad to a LASTI vacuum chamber, rehearsing the chamber installation process and checking the alignments of the optics once in vacuum. LIGO personnel at the Observatories traveled to MIT for support of the vacuum installation and for training on the suspension controls. The ear bonding, fiber pulling and welding hardware and procedures were developed at the University of Glasgow. The monolithic suspension represents an important milestone for AdLIGO and will be a major contributing factor toward the completion of the final design review for the suspension systems
aLIGO News Archive
August 2016 -- LIGO Reports O1 Results
June 2016 -- Another Black Hole Merger
Feburary 2016 -- First Gravitational Wave Detection
November 2015 -- O1 Progress Report
August 2015 -- Final Preparations for the O1 Run
February 2015 -- Hanford's H1 Achieves Two-Hour Lock
July 2014 -- Livingston Commissioning Progress
June 2014 -- Livingston Locks the L1 Interferometer
December 2013 -- Livingston Installs End Station Payloads
September 2013 -- Half-interferometer Test Closes
June 2013 -- DRMI Test at Livingston
May 2013 -- Arm Length Stabilization
November 2012 -- One-arm Test at Hanford
September 2012 -- LIGO Begins Locking Optical Cavities
August 2012 -- Installation of Stray Light Controls
July 2012 -- Small Optic Suspenions Enter L1
April 2012 -- First Cartridges Enter the Vacuum
November 2011 -- Glass Fiber Suspensions in Production
October 2011 -- Continued Suspension Development
July 2011 -- Hanford's H2 Becomes a 4K
May 2011 -- LLO Laser Installation Completed
March 2011 -- Input and Output Tubes Undergo Removal
February 2011 -- New Laser Enclosure Takes Shape
December 2010 -- Initial LIGO Comes Out of the Vacuum
October 2010 -- S6 Yields to Advanced LIGO
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