Cosmic Explorer, Laser Breakthroughs and the Next Generation of Gravitational-Wave Research

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July 16, 2025, 10:00 AM

• •LIGO Lab at MIT is at the forefront of gravitational-wave research and is preparing for the next generation of detectors.
• •Advanced LIGO detectors made the first detection of gravitational waves in 2015.
• •Cosmic Explorer, a next-generation detector, is being developed to be factor of 10 larger and more sensitive than current detectors.
• •The community of gravitational-wave scientists is a global endeavor, with about 2,000 people involved, including graduate students and postdocs, making an impact in the project.

The LIGO Lab at MIT is advancing gravitational-wave research, preparing for upgraded detectors that will allow for deeper exploration of the universe. Gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime, were first detected by Advanced LIGO detectors in 2015, opening new avenues in astronomy. The team is now working on improvements, including quantum technologies and better mirrors, to enhance sensitivity and expand the scope of detectable events, such as binary systems of black holes and neutron stars. Looking ahead, the development of Cosmic Explorer, a more powerful next-generation detector, promises to observe events from the early universe, offering unprecedented insights into stellar evolution and the cosmos.

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