GEO 600: Building a gravitational wave observatory

Abstract

An international network of laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors is nearing the end of the main commissioning phase and will soon enter into an extended observational period, collecting data for a duration of order one year. This article outlines the construction, design and commissioning of the GEO 600 gravitational wave observatory. GEO 600 is a laser-interferometric gravitational wave detector which has 600 m long arms and uses advanced optical and suspension techniques to achieve a sensitivity comparable to the longer base-line detectors currently operating in the U.S.A and Europe.