LIGO: How to Know Wave Direction?

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SUMMARY

LIGO determines the direction of gravitational waves by analyzing the arrival times of signals at its two detectors, along with the Virgo detector. When a gravitational wave passes, the detectors experience different stretching and compressing of their arms, which is recorded as variations in signal amplitude. For instance, if Virgo detects a wave 20 milliseconds before one LIGO site and 3 milliseconds before the other, this timing information allows scientists to triangulate the wave's origin. The different orientations of the detectors further enhance the accuracy of this directional analysis.

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nmsurobert
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Im sure you guys see a lot of this. I only come here when google has let me down for several hours.

How does LIGO know where the waves are coming from?
My guess is that they can get an idea of the direction of the wave based on how the arms are stretched of compressed.

Thanks.
 
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LIGO has two detectors, Virgo is a third detector. Based on the arrival times (e. g. "Virgo first, 20 ms afterwards at one LIGO site, 3 ms later at the other LIGO site") it is possible to figure out from which direction the gravitational wave came. The relative amplitudes help a bit as well as the different detectors have different orientations.
 
mfb said:
LIGO has two detectors, Virgo is a third detector. Based on the arrival times (e. g. "Virgo first, 20 ms afterwards at one LIGO site, 3 ms later at the other LIGO site") it is possible to figure out from which direction the gravitational wave came. The relative amplitudes help a bit as well as the different detectors have different orientations.
that makes total sense. thank you!
 

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