LIGO

LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) is a large-scale physics experiment aimed at detecting gravitational waves. It consists of two identical detectors located in the United States, one in Hanford, Washington and the other in Livingston, Louisiana. Each detector uses a Michelson interferometer to measure tiny changes in the length of two 4-kilometer-long arms caused by passing gravitational waves. The detectors operate by using lasers to measure the interference pattern of light that has traveled back and forth between mirrors at the ends of the arms. The detection of gravitational waves by LIGO in 2015 confirmed a major prediction of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity and opened up a new field of astronomy. Since then, LIGO has detected several more gravitational wave events, including mergers of black holes and neutron stars.
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