3 research outputs found
The Virgo interferometric gravitational antenna
No full textThe interferometric gravitational wave detectors represent the ultimate evolution of the classical Michelson interferometer. In order to measure the signal produced by the passage of a gravitational wave, they aim to reach unprecedent sensitivities in measuring the relative displacements of the mirrors. One of them, the 3-km-long Virgo gravitational wave antenna, which will be particularly sensitive in the low-frequency range (10-100 Hz), is presently in its commissioning phase. In this paper the various techniques developed in order to reach its target extreme performance are outlined
Noise from scattered light in Virgo's second science run data
No full textVirgo is one of the large, ground-based interferometers aimed at detecting gravitational waves. One of the technical problems limiting its sensitivity is caused by light in the output beams which is backscattered by seismically excited surfaces and couples back into the main beam of the interferometer. The resulting noise was thoroughly studied, measured and mitigated before Virgo's second science run (VSR2). The residual noise during VSR2, which increases in periods with a large microseism activity, is accurately predicted by the theoretical model. The scattered light has been associated with transient events in the gravitational-wave signal of the interferometer
Status and perspectives of the Virgo gravitational wave detector
No full textInternational audienceVirgo is designed to detect gravitational waves of both astrophysical and cosmological origin in the frequency range from a few Hz to a few kHz. After the end of the first science run, partially overlapped with the LIGO fifth science run, the detector underwent several upgrades to improve its sensitivity. The second Virgo science run started at the beginning of July 2009 in coincidence with LIGO. A further upgrade is planned at beginning of 2010 with the installation of new suspensions for the test masses and of new mirrors. This will lead to a considerable improvement in the sensitivity and represents an intermediate step toward the development of the advanced detectors
