1. Stan Whitcomb LSC meeting Hanford 15 August 2005
State of the LIGO Lab
Stan Whitcomb
LSC meeting Hanford
15 August 2005

2. Progress: Commissioning
Last LSC meeting warned that sensitivity progress would be slowing…
Higher power on all interferometers
Propagate improvements to all interferometers
Replace ITMX on H1 (June)
LIGO has held three science runs, with increasing sensitivity.
These curves show the best strain sensitivity achieved during each of these runs, reaching within a factor of 2-3 of design sensitivity during S3.
The duty cycle achieved by the Hanford interferometers is nearing the design target of 90%, but the Livingston interferometer has been disturbed by high ground noise. An active seismic isolation system has now been installed on the Livingston interferometer and will be operational by the next science run.
LSC Meeting -- August 2005

3. Progress: Duty Cycle Run S3 S4 L1 21.8% 74.5% H1 69.3% 80.5% H2 634%
81.4%
Triple
15.8%
56.9%
LSC Meeting -- August 2005

4. Progress: Science Five papers submitted since the March LSC meeting
Four Phys Rev D, one Phys Rev Letters
Analysis well along for S4 data
Mechanisms for reviewing and approving results working well
Stochastic Limit
from S3 Data
LSC Meeting -- August 2005

5. Progress: Collaborations
LIGO-GEO
Fully integrated analysis and running
Advanced LIGO partnership
LIGO-TAMA
S2-DT8 papers finalized, future joint analyses under discussion
Exchange of sapphire data and experience with LCGT
LCGT presentation by Kazuaki Kuroda this afternoon
LIGO-Virgo
Data analysis effort starting to come together
Virgo presentation by Benoit Mours this afternoon
GWIC fostering all interferometer study group
Acoustic detectors
LIGO-Allegro
LIGO-Auriga
IGEC restarting—possible mechanism for joint Interferometer-bar analyses
LSC Meeting -- August 2005

6. Progress: Advanced LIGO
Talk by David Shoemaker
LSC Meeting -- August 2005

7. Up-dates: LIGO Organization
Implementing an integrated structure for LIGO, encompassing Laboratory and LSC
LIGO Directorate (LIGO Director, LSC Spokesperson, LIGO Lab Deputy Director) structure functioning well
Mechanism for delegating AdvLIGO responsibility to LSC in beta-test
Extension of LIGO Oversight Committee to LSC still in progress
Elected LSC Technical representatives
Applications for Major Stakeholders passed to Oversight Committee chair
Updating LSC structure
Revised charter and by-laws for LSC in progress
Plan to replace existing LSC-Lab MOUs with up-dated version
New LSC MOU review process
LSC committee met to assess progress and plans for need, realism, completeness, and overlap
General agreement that the process is promising
LSC Meeting -- August 2005

8. Update: LIGO Director Search
LSC Meeting -- August 2005

9. Directions: S5 S5 goal is NSB condition for AdvLIGO funding
“at least a year’s data of coincident operation at the science goal sensitivity ”
Run Committee guiding timing and preparations
Staggered start to S5
Possible disruption to day-time operations at LLO through much of 2005 due to construction on site
L1 start Oct 21
H2 start Nov 4
H1 schedule still uncertain—recovery from Test Mass replacement
Performance goals for S5
H1, L1 over 10 Mpc inspiral range, H2 over 5 Mpc
Overall “Science content” ~ 100 times S4
LSC Meeting -- August 2005