General Physics Colloquium, Professor Yuta Michimura, University of Tokyo

Title:  The future of gravitational wave detectors

Host:  Nils Deppe

Abstract:  The discovery of gravitational waves from binary black hole mergers by the LIGO detectors in the United States in 2015 marked the dawn of gravitational wave astronomy. Today, the Virgo detector in Italy and the KAGRA detector in Japan have joined the global network, and over 200 events have been observed in total, revealing new perspectives of the universe. The amplitude of these gravitational waves corresponds to spatial distortions on the order of 10^{-21}, changing the length of LIGO's 4-km laser interferometer by about one-thousandth the size of a proton. In this talk, I will discuss the laser interferometer technologies that enable the detection of such minute changes in distance. I will also highlight ongoing efforts to further enhance sensitivity with advanced mirror materials and quantum measurement techniques, as well as plans for space-based gravitational wave observatories employing inter-satellite laser interferometry.