Abstract
The LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) experiment consists of three Fabry-Perot interferometers designed to measure the infinitesimal perturbations of the curvature of spacetime due to the motion of massive astronomical bodies. The interferometers are sensitive to strains of h ∼ 10-21 in a frequency range from 40 Hz to 1 kHz. Sources of astronomical interest include binary inspirals of neutron stars or black holes, "burst" sources such as supernovae, periodic signals from pulsars, and stochastic waves (the gravitational equivalent of the cosmic microwave background). In this talk I will discuss these sources in detail, as well as the current status of the interferometers and the plans for future full-time data collection.
