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Two neutron stars collide when the gravitational waves propagate outward.
Simulation of extreme spaces
On April 1, scientists will launch the switch on three giant machines capable of detecting ripples in the very fabric of the universe – the hallucinating phenomenon known as "gravitational waves".
The giant twin facilities of the Laser Interferometer (LIGO) gravitational wave observatory, Louisiana and Washington, and the interferometer of the Virgin, stationed in Italy, have recently undergone major upgrades to improve their many components.
Now they are ready to go back to work.
The facilities are able to detect gravitational waves through a series of lasers and high-power mirrors. Each installation is arranged in "L" with perpendicular arms extending over kilometers. At the corner of the L, a laser is triggered, zipping both arms and bouncing off the mirrors before being sent back to its origin to recombine.
Gravitational waves give off very, very, very weak signals that can disrupt the laser path and allow scientists to detect these undulating events.
After improving the power of its lasers and replacing its mirrors, LIGO now has an increased sensitivity of about 40% during its last use. This will allow the twin facilities to scan an even larger space for the purpose of detecting waves. In the same way, Virgo has nearly doubled her own sensibility.
With the three machines working better than ever, the detection and localization of "extreme cosmic events" resulting in gravitational waves, such as black hole fusion or neutron star collision, should be further improved, which will facilitate the exact location of the space waves originate.
"With our three operational sensors at significantly improved sensitivity, the global LIGO-Virgo detector network will allow more accurate triangulation of gravitational wave sources," said spokesman Jo van den Brand.
In previous detection operations, LIGO inspected the universe at a distance of 360 million light-years. Since 2015, facilities have detected 11 extreme cosmic events, including 10 black hole mergers and a neutron star collision case. With the upgrade, the facilities will have a further look at 190 million light years away in the universe.
"With LIGO and Virgo observing together next year, we will surely detect much more gravitational waves coming from the types of sources we have seen so far," said Peter Fritschel, head of scientific detectors at LIGO.
"We are looking forward to seeing new events as well, such as the fusion of a black hole and a neutron star."
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