Abstract

Gravitational waves are emitted by accelerating masses much as electromagnetic waves are produced by accelerating charges. Unlike electromagnetic waves, astrophysical-sized objects, such as massive stars, are required to produce gravitational waves that are strong enough to be detectable. Such a source of waves may be in our galaxy, the Milky Way, or in a relatively nearby galaxy. As the wave propagates away from its source, it produces small oscillations in the space-time nature of gravity. The detectors I will be talking about aim to measure these oscillations by setting up widely separated test masses as probes of the oscillating space-time, and monitoring their separations via interferometry.

© 2009 Optical Society of America