Voyager (gravitational wave detector)

Voyager (gravitational wave detector)
Name	Voyager
Type	Gravitational wave detector
Location	Reid Hillview?
Status	Concept/Planned
Operator	Caltech?

Voyager (gravitational wave detector) Voyager is a proposed upgrade pathway for a terrestrial interferometric gravitational wave observatory, envisioned to extend the capabilities demonstrated by LIGO, VIRGO, KAGRA, and GEO600. It aims to advance sensitivity across the audio band to probe astrophysical phenomena studied by teams associated with Caltech, MIT, Max Planck Society, Monash University and others, complementing spaceborne observatories like LISA and multi-messenger programs tied to Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and IceCube Neutrino Observatory.

Introduction

Voyager builds on the lineage of interferometric detectors such as LIGO Scientific Collaboration, VIRGO Collaboration, KAGRA Collaboration, and historical experiments by Weber, Barish, and Thorne, incorporating lessons from landmark detections like GW150914 and GW170817 that involved researchers linked to Abbott Prize and institutions including Caltech, MIT, AEI, Cardiff University, University of Glasgow, and Monash University.

Design and Technology

Voyager's baseline design adapts the Michelson interferometer architecture refined in projects at LIGO Hanford Observatory, LIGO Livingston Observatory, EGO, and Kamioka Observatory, integrating cryogenic mirror technology inspired by KAGRA and advanced coating research from laboratories such as University of Southampton and Cardiff University. The proposal emphasizes low-loss optical coatings studied in collaboration with groups at Stanford University, Caltech, MIT, and Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics to reduce thermal noise, while borrowings from suspension developments at LIGO Laboratory, seismic isolation concepts from Caltech Seismic Laboratory, and quantum noise reduction techniques researched at Perimeter Institute and NIST enable improved strain sensitivity. Voyager contemplates usage of new substrate materials evaluated at University of Glasgow and Australian National University with cryogenic cryostats influenced by designs tested at KAGRA and facilities associated with CERN and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Sensitivity and Performance

Modeled performance for Voyager projects strain sensitivity improvements across the 1–5,000 Hz band relative to Advanced LIGO upgrades described in literature from LIGO Scientific Collaboration, GEO600 Collaboration, and VIRGO Collaboration. Predicted noise budgets incorporate contributions characterized by teams at MIT, Caltech, Max Planck Society, Stanford University, and CNRS addressing quantum shot noise, suspension thermal noise, coating Brownian noise, and seismic upconversion observed at Hanford and Livingston sites. Voyager's target range for binary neutron star and binary black hole events builds on rate estimates developed by researchers at NASA, ESA, NSF, and survey teams such as Zwicky Transient Facility and Pan-STARRS.

Science Goals and Target Sources

Voyager is designed to enable deeper probes of compact binary coalescences similar to events cataloged by GWTC-1, GWTC-2, and subsequent catalogs produced by LIGO, VIRGO, and KAGRA, while expanding access to lower-mass black hole mergers studied by groups at Caltech, MIT, and AEI. Science goals include precision tests of general relativity promoted by theorists at Institute for Advanced Study and Perimeter Institute, constraints on the neutron star equation of state pursued by researchers at Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and University of Birmingham, searches for gravitational-wave memory effects investigated at Princeton University and Harvard University, and potential detection of stochastic backgrounds tied to early-universe models explored by teams at Stanford University, Cambridge University, and Oxford University. Voyager would also enhance capabilities for multi-messenger campaigns coordinated with observatories such as Swift Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and ground-based facilities including Very Large Telescope and Keck Observatory.

Construction, Commissioning, and Timeline

The Voyager pathway envisions staged implementation and testing informed by commissioning experiences at Advanced LIGO Plus and upgrade plans communicated within the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, with prototyping activities carried out at institutional laboratories such as Caltech, MIT, AEI, ANU, and University of Glasgow. Timelines depend on funding decisions by agencies like NSF, European Commission, Australian Research Council, and national research councils, with phased milestones mirroring those used for Advanced LIGO and KAGRA commissioning campaigns conducted at Hanford and Kamioka.

Collaborations and Funding

Voyager development engages broad international partnerships among institutions affiliated with LIGO Scientific Collaboration, VIRGO Collaboration, KAGRA Collaboration, Max Planck Society, Caltech, and MIT, leveraging expertise from laboratories including AEI, Stanford University, University of Glasgow, and Monash University. Funding discussions involve agencies and organizations such as NSF, European Research Council, Australian Research Council, NASA, and philanthropic entities that have previously supported projects like LIGO, LISA Pathfinder, and Event Horizon Telescope initiatives.

Category:Gravitational-wave telescopes