Observations of gravitational waves by existing observatories and the new Einstein Telescope are made with laser beams. These are sent into ten-kilometre-long tunnels in two directions and reflected by mirrors at the ends to be collected at the starting point by a detector.
The measurement signal depends on the difference in the path travelled by the two laser beams. University lecturer Michiel van Limbeek explains: “A passing gravity wave influences that difference on the measurement signal. You can extract information from that, for example about how that gravitational wave was formed.”
To fund the research, the R&D scheme was created as part of the ET valorisation programme with a financial contribution from the National Growth Fund. The scheme has five calls; the first was for vibration-free cooling, which is needed to make measurements much more accurate. That call was awarded to the Twente consortium.
