We build and refine the instruments that turn faint ripples in spacetime into discoveries. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) measures displacements a thousand times smaller than a proton—a feat requiring relentless attention to every source of noise, drift, and instability.
Our infrastructure work spans three interconnected efforts. First, we contribute directly to Advanced LIGO commissioning at the Hanford and Livingston sites, diagnosing sensitivity limits and deploying fixes that push the detectors closer to their quantum and thermal noise floors. Second, we are deeply involved in **LIGO-India**, designing control systems, seismic isolation strategies, and digital twins that will bring a third detector online in the global network. Third, we develop enabling technologies—low-loss optical coatings, cryogenic test masses, and adaptive optics—that will define the next generation of observatories.
This pillar is where precision meets scale. A single misaligned optic or a subtle electronic glitch can mask signals from colliding black holes billions of light-years away. We thrive on tracking down these gremlins and eliminating them. The payoff is direct: every decibel of noise we remove expands the observable universe, revealing mergers, neutron stars, and phenomena we haven't yet imagined.
Students and postdocs in this area gain hands-on experience with kilometer-scale interferometry, real-time digital control, ultra-high vacuum systems, and the international collaboration that makes large-scale physics possible.
Representative topics
Advanced LIGO upgrades and commissioning
LIGO-India
Cryogenic interferometer pathfinder
Thin-film coatings and material R&D
Projects in this pillar
LIGO Adaptive Optics
— Develop adaptive optics techniques to correct thermal and alignment distortions in LIGO interferometers, improving sensitivity at high laser power.
LIGO India
— Contribute to the design and commissioning of the LIGO-India detector, including infrastructure, control systems, and integration with the global network.
Vacuum Beam Guide
— Build and characterize a long-baseline vacuum beam guide as a quantum link between laboratories for interferometry and quantum networking.
For an overview of all pillars and projects, see the
Research Projects page.
