Role of Modern Optical Techniques in Gravitational Wave Detection

TL;DR

This paper reviews the modern optical techniques used in gravitational wave detection, highlighting current detectors like LIGO, VIRGO, and KAGRA, and discussing future advancements in the field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of current optical methods and future plans for improving gravitational wave detection technology.

Findings

Current detectors have successfully observed gravitational waves.

Modern optical techniques are crucial for enhancing sensitivity.

Future techniques aim to detect more distant and weaker signals.

Abstract

Gravitational waves were first proposed by Henri Poincar\'e in 1905 and were subsequently predicted by Albert Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity. In 2015, first Gravitational Waves signals were detected by LIGO of two black holes merging about 1.3 billion light-years away. The discovery opened a new window of astronomy. Currently, four laser interferometers are operating around the world, two American detectors which are located in Hanford and Livingston, one Italian detector (VIRGO) located at Pisa and an underground Japanese detector KAGRA. This paper describes the modern optical techniques that are being used and future planned techniques for gravitational wave detection.