LASER INTERFEROMETER GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE OBSERVATORIES - AN OVERVIEW

The quest to detect gravitational radiation is on the threshold of a new era. Technological developments in the 1980s have led to the point where it is now possible to design an instrument based on the Michelson interferometer which should not only be able to detect gravity waves but should function as an astronomical observatory. Stimulated by the need for a southern hemisphere facility, the Australian National University in collaboration with the University of Western Australia is poised to enter this exciting field. Here, we will briefly describe the principle of operation of these giant laser interferometers and examine performance limits imposed by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. © 1990 Taylor & Francis Ltd.