Speaker
Summary
The discovery of gravitational waves from merging black holes and neutron stars by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo marked the beginning of a new era in observing our universe. The Einstein Telescope (ET) is a proposed third-generation gravitational wave detector that will detect several hundred thousand gravitational wave signals per year and allow us listen to the sound of merging black holes across the entire universe. In order to develop new technologies required for the Einstein Telescope, a multi-national collaboration is setting up a research prototype at Maastricht University, ETpathfinder. It is intended to develop and test precision interferometry with cryogenically-cooled suspended mirrors, as well as measurement and control techniques, which will be required to achieve the targeted sensitivity of the Einstein Telescope. We will report on recent progress of the design and manufacturing of ETpathfinder, and highlight collaboration opportunities.
