press releases
| 05.24.10 |
'Astronomy's New Messengers' Arrive in Manhattan (2010 World Science Festival) "Astronomy's New Messengers: Listening to the Universe with Gravitational Waves", courtesy of the National Science Foundation and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and presented as part of the World Science Festival, will be on view June 2- 6 with panel discussions taking place June 3rd and 4th. Throughout the Festival this interpretive exhibition will offer an up-close look at the work process of a dynamic group of over 800 physicists and astronomers worldwide who have joined together in the search for gravitational waves from the most violent astrophysical events in the Universe. Read more... | 08.19.09 |
LIGO Listens for Gravitational Echoes of the Birth of the Universe An investigation by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration has significantly advanced our understanding of the early evolution of the universe. Read more... |
| 06.02.08 |
LIGO Observations Probe the Dynamics of the Crab Pulsar The search for gravitational waves has revealed new information about the core of one of the most famous objects in the sky: the Crab Pulsar in the Crab Nebula. An analysis by the international LIGO Scientific Collaboration to be submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letters has shown that no more than 4 percent of the energy loss of the pulsar is caused by the emission of gravitational waves. Read more... |
| 01.04.08 |
Advanced LIGO Project Funded by National Science Foundation The Advanced LIGO Project, an upgrade in sensitivity for LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatories), was approved by the National Science Board in its meeting on March 27. The National Science Foundation will fund the $205.12 million, seven-year project, starting with $32.75 million in 2008. This major upgrade will increase the sensitivity of the LIGO instruments by a factor of 10, giving a one thousand-fold increase in the number of astrophysical candidates for gravitational wave signals. Read more... |
| 01.02.08 |
LIGO Sheds Light on Cosmic Event An analysis by the international LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) Scientific Collaboration has excluded one previously leading explanation for the origin of an intense gamma-ray burst that occurred last winter. Gamma-ray bursts are among the most violent and energetic events in the universe, and scientists have only recently begun to understand their origins. Read more... |
advanced ligo
The Advanced LIGO Project, a major upgrade of the LIGO interferometers, has been funded by the National Science Foundation. This major upgrade will increase the sensitivity of the LIGO instruments by a factor of 10, giving a one thousand-fold increase in the number of astrophysical candidates for gravitational wave signals.