New Optical Tech Boosts Gravitational Wave Detection

A team led by Jonathan Richardson at UC Riverside has developed new optical technology to enhance gravitational wave detection. Published in Physical Review Letters, the research details a low-noise, high-resolution adaptive optics approach. This method corrects distortions in LIGO's 40-kilogram mirrors caused by increased laser power. The advancement could enable detectors to reach extreme laser powers, extending the detection range of observatories like LIGO and aiding projects like Cosmic Explorer, which aims to observe the universe before the first stars formed. The technology could also refine measurements of the universe's expansion rate and black hole dynamics.