LIGO Surpasses Quantum Limit, Increasing Detection of Gravitational Waves by 60%

New "frequency-dependent squeezing" technology allows LIGO to bypass quantum noise for more precise measurements, potentially improving future quantum technologies.

• LIGO has surpassed the quantum limit by implementing a new 'frequency-dependent squeezing' technology, increasing the detection of gravitational waves by 60%. This means that the detectors can now probe a larger volume of the universe and are expected to detect about 60 percent more mergers than before.
• This new technology, operational at LIGO since it restarted in May of this year, boosts LIGO's ability to study the exotic events that cause disturbances in space and time.
• The successful bypass of the quantum limit holds significant implications for future quantum technologies, such as quantum computers and other microelectronics, as well as for fundamental physics experiments. It provides solutions for problems that require measuring subatomic-scale distances with incredibly high accuracy.
• The frequency-dependent squeezing technology allows the team to squeeze light differently depending on the frequency of gravitational waves of interest, thereby reducing noise across the whole LIGO frequency range.
• This groundbreaking achievement is the result of a sizable effort involving multiple scientists and engineers from institutions such as MIT, Caltech, and the twin LIGO observatories in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana.

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