LIGO Magazine

Issue 23, September 2023

(PDF, 6.2 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the Spokesperson – Foreword
O4: What happens before an Observing Run?
O4: Rapid Response to S230518h
Tales from the Cosmos
How to survive a snake bite
A green light for the LIGO-India Project!
Back in production
My experiences as a science reporter
Remembering Dr. Rhondale Tso
Pulsar Timing Arrays: A new window is opening
Artists' impression: The Binary Coalescence Project
Meanwhile in space... Tilt-to-length noise in LISA
LAAC Corner: Making the most of your conference travel
Welcome to KAGRA: LVK collaboration meeting in Toyama, Japan!
Work after LIGO: Choosing a career path in finance
We hear that...
The LIGO Magazine #23 – Masthead
How It Works: The journey of a gravitational-wave candidate

Issue 22, March 2023

(PDF, 6.1 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the Spokesperson – Foreword
Looking forward to O4
Bringing the detectors online - Commissioning O4
Remembering Stavros Katsanevas
LIGO India's Star Fest: Behind the scenes
How do you travel the LIGO arms?
Virtual Reality for Astrophysics Outreach
Gravitational waves and carbon footprints
The Gingin arm collapse of 2021
LAAC Corner: LSC elections in focus
Work after LIGO: (Re)finding my love of science
Meanwhile in space... The future is becoming MAGIC
We hear that...
The LIGO Magazine #22 – Masthead
How It Works: Why do gravitational-wave detectors need laser light?

Issue 21, September 2022

(PDF, 7.5 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokesperson – Foreword
Commissioning: Going from O3 to O4
Looking Back: 10 Years of the LIGO Magazine
LIGO-India: Prototyping the Vacuum Chambers
LVK and Equity in the Scientific Literature
Memories of a busy time: The O3 GEO-KAGRA Observing Run
The new LIGO Exploration Center Grand Opening
Meanwhile in Space... The LISA Data Challenges
O4: A Tighter Squeeze
Mental Health and the LVK
Work After LIGO: Do I miss Physics? Back to Nature
An Unexpected Visssitor at LHO
We hear that
The LIGO Magazine #21 – Masthead
How It Works: What Are Short Gamma Ray Bursts?

Issue 20, March 2022

(PDF, 5 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokesperson – Foreword
GWTC-3 - Building a gravitational-wave catalog
Of magic mirrors, evil losses and small creatures: Double suspensions for active mirrors in O4
The new LIGO Exploration Center: A home for LIGO's STEM outreach mission
GWTC-3 Poster
There but for fortune...class discrimination in academia
Astro 2020 and gravitational-wave science
GW Quickview: Easy web apps for gravitational-wave data
GW Catcher: A gravitational-wave board game
Meanwhile in Space: The LISA mission moves into the next phase
The LAAC corner #5: Postdoc jobs and how to find them
A bright future for gravitational-wave science
Gravitational-wave detection on the Moon
We hear that
The LIGO Magazine #20 – Masthead
How it works: Cryogenic gravitational-wave detectors

Issue 19, September 2021

(PDF, 9 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokesperson – Foreword
The observation of two neutron star & black hole mergers
Continuing continuous wave science in a pandemic
LIGO India - The search for a perfect site
Remembering Prof. Dhiraj Bora and Dr. Srikumar Banerjee
Science summaries: Explaining LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA results to the global public
Remembering Arecibo - A giant in gravitational-wave astronomy
Work after LIGO: Solar wind-swept to New Mexico
The LAAC corner #4: Pandemic PhDs
Virgo filter cavity: On the path to frequency dependent squeezing for observing run 4
When Albinoni meets Virgo
Meanwhile in space: The 2021 LISA Canada workshop
We hear that
The LIGO Magazine #19 – Masthead
How it works: LIGO controls and data system (CDS)

Issue 18, March 2021

(PDF, 11 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokesperson – Foreword
O4 comissioning upgrades
The second gravitational-wave transient catalog
Where imagination meets science
Gravity Matters: A GW science blog from LIGO India
LAAC Corner: Building towards healthy supervision
Work after LIGO: Imaging the Earth with CubeSats
Meanwhile in Space: LISA Symposium XIII - the Next Generation
Book review - Gravitational Waves - A History of Discovery
A discovery in the dark
We hear that
LAAC Corner: Bonus content
The LIGO Magazine #18 – Masthead
How it works: Hunting a stochastic gravitational wave background

Issue 17, September 2020

(PDF, 13 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokesperson – Foreword
Stories from Lockdown
Observing Run 3: GW190412, GW190814, GW190521 + more in the pipeline
The GEO-KAGRA Observing Run
Commissioning KAGRA
Vigyan Samagam: LIGO India at mega-science exhibition
Improving the sensitivity of our future detectors
Meanwhile in Space: The LISA Mission in 2020
Diversity in the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations
Work after LIGO: From data analysis to machine learning
The LAAC Corner: Collaboration papers
We hear that ...
The LIGO Magazine #17 – Masthead
How it works: Seismic isolation

Issue 16, March 2020

(PDF, 3 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokesperson – Foreword
Observing Run 3: Commissioning break at LIGO and Virgo
Observing Run 3: GW190425 - an unusual compact binary merger event
Climate change & the LVK
Environmental noises in gravitational-wave detectors
GEO600: Vacuum repair with pure nitrogen
Outreach Beacons: Exploring the LIGO/SUBR Docent Program
LISA takes gravitational-wave revolution into space
The LAAC Corner: I finished my PhD - what now?
The Einstein-First Project
Meanwhile in space: NASA delivers first LISA prototype hardware to Europe
We hear that ...
The LIGO Magazine #16 – Masthead
How it works: BayesWave unmodeled waveform reconstruction

Issue 15, Sepember 2019

(PDF, 3 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokesperson – Foreword
Observing Run 3: Gravitational-wave astronomy live
Sometime after sunrise 19 June 2019: getting KAGRA ready
Putting general relativity to the test
Are you ready? Public alerts for O3
Don't Panic! Gravitational waves can find new planets
LIGO lab's international physics and astronomy program
LISA takes gravitational-wave revolution into space
Work after LIGO: From LIGO to ANSTO
Celebrating the 1919 solar eclipse centenary
We hear that ...
The LIGO Magazine #15 – Masthead
Gravitational wave public alerts - what do they mean?

Issue 14, March 2019

(PDF, 10 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokespeople – Foreword
The gravitational wave ‘forecast’ for Observing Run 3
Getting ready for O3: Upgrades of Hanford, Livingston and Virgo
Inventorizing the Dark Side: First Gravitational Wave Transient Catalog
A look at the early days: An interview with Sir James Hough
In the pulsar business: A new era for the Parkes radio telescope
Work outside LIGO: Building instruments for Keck
A new squeezing record at GEO600
Multi-messenger observations with LISA
Remembering Michael Gorodetsky
We hear that ...
Gravitational Wave Art
The LIGO Magazine #14 – Masthead
Continuous wave searches

Issue 13, September 2018

(PDF, 3 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
News from the spokespeople – Foreword
LIGO in 2018: A Commissioning Story
KAGRA: Next Step Full Lock
Calibration: A Short Introduction
Characterization: Of Bangs and Buzzes
Memories of GW170817: The First 24 Hours
The Early Years: The Multi-Messenger Effort in LIGO
The Hubble Space Telescope: Window to the Multi-Messenger Universe
Did LIGO’s Black Holes Have Echoes?
Albrecht Rüdiger: A Life Dedicated to Science
LISA: A Snapshot of Strides Forward
We hear that ...
Five Merging Binary Black Holes

Issue 12, March 2018

(PDF, 3 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
LSC News - Foreword
The Dawn of Multi-Messenger Astronomy
The Light from Gravitational Wave Events
The Multi-messenger Revolution of 2017
A Lucky Beginning
The Lightest Binary Black Hole So Far?
Numerical Relativity: A Short Walk Through
What is the Equation of State?
The First Triple Detector Observation
Nobel Prize in Physics 2017
Meanwhile in Space... LISA Pathfinder
A Road Trip from Hannover to Virgo
Once Again, LIGO Makes History
Solar Eclipse Photography
We hear that ...
The LIGO Magazine #12 – Masthead
What is a Neutron Star?

Issue 11, August 2017

(PDF, 8 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
LSC News - Foreword
50 years of pulsars - An interview with Jocelyn Bell-Burnell
The search for Continuous Waves
Gravitational waves from 3 billion light years away
Building big-physics experiments: the CERN model
An Operator’s story
Goodbye LPF! Hello LISA!
The first joint interferometric observing run
Remembering Ron Drever
Remembering Neil Gehrels
Comment: Searching for a faculty job
We hear that ... – Career Updates, Awards and More
The LIGO Magazine #10 - Masthead
How did you spend your Breakthrough Prize money?

Issue 10, March 2017

(PDF, 8 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
LSC News - Foreword
O2: A New Season - The Second LIGO Observation Run
O2: A New Season - A Data Analysis Perspective
The Gravity Spy Project: Machine Learning and Citizen Science
Convincing Congress: How Initial Funding for LIGO was Secured
LISA Pathfinder and LISA in Brief
How to Get a Faculty Position
Infinite LIGO Dreams
To Catch a Wave: A Detection Story
Job Hunting Beyond Academia
A Tale From Hanford
What I Think About When I Think About Gravitational Waves: A Poem
We hear that... - Career Updates, Awards and More
The LIGO Magazine #10 - Masthead
In A Nutshell: Thermal Compensation Systems

Issue 9, September 2016

(PDF, 11 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome
LSC News
Astrophysics with GW Observations
Bringing About the GW Astronomy
Science Communication: Go for Excitement or Accuracy?
The Glasgow Mosaic
Social Media Impact of LIGO Detection
GWs in the Birmingham Science Museum
GWs: A Neat Problem to Work On
Hans Bethe's Last Prediction
A Green Light for LISA
Demystifying Inspiral Range and Detection Rates
We Hear That...
Detection: A Poem
LIGO: A Big Pool of Diversity

Issue 8, March 2016

(PDF, 16 MB)

Table of contents

Welcome, Foreword
The Waveform Explained
Timeline of GW150914
Thoughts and Reactions 1/3
It Takes a Worldwide Village
GW150914 Comic
Thoughts and Reactions 2/3
The Paper Writing Team
What are Blind Injections?
Understanding the Characteristics of the LIGO Detectors
Where were you when
Thoughts and Reactions 3/3
Black Hole Conversations
Testing General Relativity
Listening to the Event
Compact Binaries
The Journey of a Gravitational Wave Signal
Gravitational Physics: From Small to Big Science Part 2
Going Operational: LISA Pathfinder
LISA Pathfinder - The Launch Story
Glossary & Masthead
A Signal from Two Merging Black Holes

Issue 7, September 2015

(PDF, 5.4 MB)

Table of contents

Antimatter
Upcoming Events
Welcome
LSC News
Measuring the Speed of Light via Eclipses of the Jovian Satellites
Gravity's Ghost and Big Dog
An Astronomer's Tale
Looking for the Afterglow: The LIGO Perspective
The Dedication of the Advanced LIGO Detector
A Tale of Astronomers and Physicists
The Einstein@Home Project
An Interview with Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr.
Obituary for Rolland Schilling
We Hear That ...
Obituary for Christina Torres
The Quietest Place in the Solar System - LISA Pathfinder
When I'm not Doing Science ... I'm Memorizing Your Credit Card Numbers!
Masthead
How Does It Work? Parameter Estimation

Issue 6, March 2015

(PDF, 6 MB)

Table of contents

Antimatter
Upcoming Events
Welcome
LSC News
Detector Commissioning: Control Room Day and Nights
Salsola Siege
Diagram of LIGO Explaining the Degrees of Freedom
Control Screens of aLIGO
The Transition of Gravitational Physics - From Small to Big Science
LLO Strain Sensitivity Improvements
LIGO Field Trip: A Visit to the Hanford Site and the B Reactor
Undergrads Conducting Research for LIGO
Where Should I Apply for Grad School?
We Hear That ...
Recent LIGO Papers
When We're Not Doing Science ... We're Hiking!
Masthead
How Does It Work? Signal Liberation

Issue 5, September 2014

(PDF, 6 MB)

Table of contents

Upcoming Events
Antimatter
Welcome
LSC News
Major Milestone: First Full Lock Achieved
Life at LLO
Life After LIGO
LVC Meeting Nice 2014
The Transmission Monitor Suspension Telescope
A Humboldt Fellow in Stanford
LIGO: A Passion for Understanding -- An Interview with Kai Staats
LIGO Sudoku
We Hear That ...
Recent Papers
When I'm Not Doing Science ... Our World Is Three-Dimensional
Corner Station: Crossword Puzzle
Masthead
How to Lock an Interferometer

Issue 4, March 2014

(PDF, 6.3 MB)

Table of contents

Upcoming Events
Welcome
LSC News
Installation of the Advanced LIGO Detector at LLO
History of aLIGO Coating Research
LIGOku
Starting Right: Building an LSC Clean Lab from the Ground Up
On the Life and Death of Simulation Codes
Community Activities: Checking in with LIGO Public Outreach
Reaching Out to Klingons
GWPAW 2013: Impressions from India
We Hear That ...
Recent Papers
Corner Station: Crossword Puzzle
Masthead
How to Make a LIGO Mirror Coating

Issue 3, September 2013

(PDF, 4.4 MB)

Table of contents

Upcoming Events
Welcome
LSC News
A Brief History: Squeezing at the ANU
H1 Squeezing Experiment at LIGO
Realizing Squeezing: An Interview with Carlton Caves
A Squeezing Light Source for GEO600
GEO600 Astrowatch Mode
Advanced LIGO: Pre-Stabilized Laser Installation
LIGOku
We Hear That ...
Recent Papers
Conference: Amaldi 2013 -- Impressions from Poland
Corner Station: Crossword Puzzle
How Does It Work? Squeezing Light

Issue 2, March 2013

(PDF, 4.8 MB)

Table of contents

Upcoming Events
Welcome
LSC News
Black Holes in aLIGO: The Observational Payoff
Astrophysics of Black Holes
Data Analysis: How to Find a Black Hole
Assembly Technicians: Building Advanced LIGO
Two Weeks at GEO600: The Input Optics Upgrade
Astrophysics and Dance at RIT
We Hear That ...
Recent Papers
Conferences: The Commissioning Workshop At LIGO Livingston
Conferences: New Frontiers
Conferences: LIGO Goes to SACNAS
Introducing the Diversity Working Group
How Does It Work? Weird Stuff in Tiny Stars

Issue 1, September 2012

(PDF, 6.9 MB)

Table of contents

Upcoming Events
Welcome
LSC News
How Far is 300 Mpc?
A Brief History: The Evolution of Advanced LIGO
Under Construction: Advanced LIGO
Vacuum System Modifications in Advanced LIGO
Technology Insights: Monolithic Suspensions
From Other Fields: New Particle Observed in the Search for the Standard Model Higgs Boson
We Hear That ...
Recent Papers
Job Announcements
Conferences: Hanging Out with the Astronomical Instrumentation Crowd
Conferences: GWADW Conference
LIGO's Outreach: On Stage at the 2nd USA Science and Engineering Festival
LIGO Then and Now: A Graduate Student's Story
When I'm Not Doing Science: LIGO LEGO
How Does It Work? An Optical Cavity