Interferometric Gravitational-wave Detectors: Giant Quantum Machines Nergis Mavalvala, Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors are poised to launch a new era of gravitational wave astronomy and unprecedented tests of general relativity. But the next generation of detectors, slated for installation beginning in 2011, should also provide unique opportunities for studying quantum phenomena on macroscopic scales. The sensitivity of next generation interferometric gravitational wave detectors is expected to be almost entirely limited by quantum mechanics. We will explore the quantum limit and describe experimental progress toward circumventing it. These experiments not only lay the foundations for higher sensitivity future detectors, but also serve as testbeds for quantum measurement on unprecedented macroscopic scales.