Very high frequency observations
GEO600 aims to search for gravitational waves at frequencies of up to 2 MHz – much higher than those observed by current instruments – and to deepen our understanding of dark matter and the early Universe.
Current instruments such as LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO600 observe gravitational waves in a frequency window from 10 hertz to 6000 hertz. There, mergers of black holes and / or neutron stars are routinely observed. Signals from rotating isolated neutron stars and stellar explosions are also expected.
Physicists expect our Universe to be home to various objects that could emit gravitational waves at much higher frequencies of up to millions of hertz. Searching for them and finding them – and even not finding them – will deepen our understanding of the Universe.
GEO600 upgrades
There are two major upgrades at GEO600, related to its laser source and to the data acquisition system.
The laser source at GEO600 has been be upgraded. A new laser amplifier has been installed that will provide up to 70 watts of laser power to the detector and increase its measurement precision.
Additionally, the data acquisition system at GEO600 has been upgraded with new components. These take measurement data 4 million times each second to enable the observation of high-frequency gravitational waves with frequncies of up to 2 MHz.
