Suspension last stages for the mirrors of the Virgo interferometric gravitational wave antenna

We describe the design of the last stage suspension for the mirrors of the Virgo gravitational wave detector and, in particular, its key mechanical elements: the marionette and the reaction mass. Since the whole suspension system is an electromechanical device, we present both its mechanical and electromagnetic components. The main features of the fully assembled prototype and those worked out for the Virgo final design are discussed. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)04408-1].