GEO600
GEO600 is a gravitational wave detector located near Sarstedt, a town 20 km to the south of Hanover, Germany. It is designed and operated by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and the Leibniz Universität Hannover, along with University of Glasgow, University of Birmingham and Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, and is funded by the Max Planck Society and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). GEO600 is capable of detecting gravitational waves in the frequency range 50 Hz to 1.5 kHz, and is part of a worldwide network of gravitational wave detectors. This instrument, and its sister interferometric detectors, when operational, are some of the most sensitive gravitational wave detectors ever designed. They are designed to detect relative changes in distance of the order of 10−21, about the size of a single atom compared to the distance from the Sun to the Earth. Construction on the project began in 1995.
| Location(s) | Sarstedt, Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°14′49″N 9°48′30″E |
| Organization | LIGO Scientific Collaboration |
| Wavelength | 43 km (7.0 kHz)–10,000 km (30 Hz) |
| Built | September 1995– |
| Telescope style | gravitational-wave observatory Michelson interferometer |
| Diameter | 600 m (1,968 ft 6 in) |
| Website | www |
Location of GEO600 | |
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In March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of operation of other gravitational wave observatories such as LIGO and Virgo (and in April 2020, KAGRA) but GEO600 continued operations.
As of 2023, GEO600 is active in its gravitational wave observation operations.