The international project which first detected gravitational waves in 2015 is set to receive a £25 million upgrade.
It is hoped the investment will improve the sensitivity of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and allow them to study more of deep space.
Scientists hope to see a significant increase in the number and strength of their detections from 2024.
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An international project which first detected gravitational waves is to receive a funding boost of more than £25 million. The project has observatories in Louisiana and Washington in the US (file photo)
Researchers from the University of Glasgow are involved in the ground-breaking project which made history in 2015.
It successfully detected ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves.
The phenomena was first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 and are generated by cataclysmic cosmic events, such as collisions between black holes or super-dense neutron stars.
Professor Sheila Rowan, from the University of Glasgow, said: 'In the three years since LIGO's first detection of gravitational waves, we've observed a remarkable string of cosmic events, including a series of black hole collisions and a neutron star merger, the majority of which would have gone unnoticed here on Earth without the advent of gravitational wave astronomy.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Ligo), which has two facilities in the US, will undergo an upgrade to improve the sensitivity of its instruments. A Ligo technician inspects one of the mirrors (file photo)
Gravitational waves, predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, are generated by cataclysmic cosmic events, such as collisions between black holes or super-dense neutron stars, or massive stellar explosions (artist's impression)
'This announcement of new funding for Advanced Ligo Plus ensures that we'll continue to build on these strong foundations by making the detectors even more sensitive to the vibrations of spacetime.
'We expect the steady stream of detections we've enjoyed so far to turn into a torrent, providing us with invaluable new data about our universe.'
The LIGO facility is made up of two pipes which form an L shape, laser beams and mirrors, which can detect gravitational waves as they reach Earth.
A passing gravitational wave changes the shape of space by a tiny amount, and the LIGO was built with the ability to measure a change in distance just one-ten-thousandth the width of a proton.
The upgrade, known as Advanced LIGO Plus, will be aided by more than £10 million from UK Research and Innovation.
HOW DOES THE LIGO DETECTOR WORK?
Ligo is made up of two observatories that detect gravitational waves by splitting a laser beam and sending it down several mile (kilometre) long tunnels before merging the light waves together again.
A passing gravitational wave changes the shape of space by a tiny amount, and the Ligo was built with the ability to measure a change in distance just one-ten-thousandth the width of a proton.
However, this sensitivity means any amount of noise, even people running at the site, or raindrops, can be detected.
The Ligo detectors are interferometers that shine a laser through a vacuum down two arms in the shape of an L that are each 2.5 miles (four kilometres) in length.
The light from the laser bounces back and forth between mirrors on each end of the L, and scientists measure the length of both arms using the light.
If there's a disturbance in space-time, such as a gravitational wave, the time the light takes to travel the distance will be slightly different in each arm making one arm look longer than the other.
Ligo (pictured) is made up of two observatories that detect gravitational waves by splitting a laser beam and sending it down several mile (kilometre) long tunnels before merging the light waves together again
Ligo scientists measure the interference in the two beams of light when they come back to meet, which reveals information on the space-time disturbance.
The ensure the results are accurate, Ligo uses two observatories, 1,870 miles (3,000 kilometres) apart, which operate synchronously, each double-checking the other's observations.
The noise at each detector should be completely uncorrelated, meaning a noise like a storm nearby one detector doesn't show up as noise in the other.
Some of the sources of 'noise' the team say they contend with include: 'a constant 'hiss' from photons arriving like raindrops at our light detectors; rumbles from seismic noise like earthquakes and the oceans pounding on the Earth's crust; strong winds shaking the buildings enough to affect our detectors.'
However, if a gravitational wave is found, it should create a similar signal in both instruments nearly simultaneously.
https://hienalouca.com/2019/02/15/gravitational-waves-project-receives-25m-boost/
Main photo article The international project which first detected gravitational waves in 2015 is set to receive a £25 million upgrade.
It is hoped the investment will improve the sensitivity of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and allow them to study more of deep space.
Scientists h...
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Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
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