Leveling up GEO600 – April 25, 2025

The light from the new laser system recently installed at GEO600 shines through four cubes made of a special crystalline material. Inside these cubes, the properties of a part of the laser light are slightly modified to operate the gravitational-wave detector. The near-infrared (and therefore invisible) laser light appears violet in the image because the infrared filter was removed from the camera used to take the picture. © M. Weinert / Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics
The detector is being upgraded to observe gravitational waves at very high frequencies.
To the point
- Towards entirely new observations: The gravitational-wave detector GEO600 is being upgraded to enable gravitational-wave observations at very high frequencies. The calibration of the detector and first test runs are expected in 2025.
- New insights: The detection of high-frequency gravitational waves could shed light on dark matter, exotic physics, and the early Universe.
- Ready for the future: The upgrades at the cutting edge of science will maintain GEO600’s status as a pioneer in gravitational-wave research.