Rana Adhikari

The Technical Challenges of Measuring Gravitational Waves - Rana Adhikari of LIGO

Rana Adhikari, Craig Cannon

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) utilizes advanced Michelson-type laser interferometers to detect space-time distortions as minute as one-hundredth of a micron, a feat achieved through 4-kilometer arms and feedback systems that counteract radiation pressure instability. Since the landmark 2015 detection of black hole mergers, the project has refined data analysis with Wiener filters and specialized noise-absorbing materials to isolate signals from background interference. Future developments aim to overcome current sensitivity limits through coherent quantum feedback and space-based missions like LISA, which will probe the fundamental nature of gravity and the early universe.