European gravitational wave detector falters

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SUMMARY

The European gravitational wave detector, Virgo, is facing significant delays due to issues with its glass threads, which are only 0.4 millimeters thick and have proven to be unexpectedly fragile. Despite a €24 million upgrade and a dedication ceremony scheduled for 20 February, Virgo will not be able to commence its gravitational wave detection efforts as planned, potentially delaying operations for up to a year. LIGO team member Bruce Allen has expressed frustration over the situation, while a task force has identified stray microscopic particles as a contributing factor to the problems, recommending upgrades to the vacuum systems to mitigate these issues.

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DrClaude
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http://science.sciencemag.org/conte...mag_2017-02-16&et_rid=34818699&et_cid=1169695
Science said:
On 20 February, dignitaries will descend on Virgo, Europe's premier gravitational wave detector near Pisa, Italy, for a dedication ceremony to celebrate a 5-year, €24 million upgrade. But the pomp will belie nagging problems that are likely to keep Virgo from joining its U.S. counterpart, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), in a hunt for gravitational wave sources that was meant to start next month. What has hobbled the 3-kilometer-long observatory: glass threads just 0.4 millimeters thick, which have proved unexpectedly fragile. The delay, which could last a year, is “very frustrating for everyone,” says LIGO team member Bruce Allen, director of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Hannover, Germany.
Bummer :frown:
 
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DrClaude said:
http://science.sciencemag.org/conte...mag_2017-02-16&et_rid=34818699&et_cid=1169695

Bummer :frown:
This piece takes a little less fatalistic viewpoint, Virgo will have a reduced sensitivity during the refit but overall plans look promising for the fix. :smile:
http://www.nature.com/news/ligo-s-u...ve-hunt-1.21437?WT.mc_id=SFB_NNEWS_1508_RHBox
"A task force concluded that stray microscopic particles were to blame and that an upgrade to the systems keeping the mirrors under high vacuum should fix the problem, says Swinkels. But for now, the lab plans to forge ahead with the steel wires and replace them later with the silica fibres."
 

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