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LIGO scientists awarded Nobel Prize in Physics


l Culmination of four decades of effort that observed gravitational waves


l Award for Professors Thorne, Barish and Weiss 'wonderful' for all at LIGO


Three scientists who made ‘decisive contributions’ to the detection of gravitational waves in 2015 have been awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. Professors Kip Thorne, Barry Barish and Rainer Weiss were recognised by the Nobel committee for bringing to completion four decades of effort culminating in the observation of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). LIGO, operated by Caltech and MIT, is a collaborative project with input from more than 1,000 researchers from 20 countries. The observatory uses two huge laser interferometers to measure a change thousands of times smaller than an atomic nucleus.


On 14 September 2015, LIGO detected


gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes, each around 30 times the mass of the sun. The event was 1.3 billion years ago, producing a peak power output 50 times that of the entire visible universe. Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicted such an event, but Einstein never thought gravitational waves would be detected. Since that discovery, three more gravitational waves generated by two


Artist’s illustration of two merging neutron stars. The


rippling space-time grid represents


gravitational waves that travel out from the collision


“I certainly feel humbled to be put in the same category as the giants of physics”


colliding black holes have been detected. The most recent detection, on 14 August, was the first one using three detectors at the same time, namely the two Advanced LIGO detectors and the upgraded Advanced Virgo instrument in Italy, which jointly operated for four weeks from 1 August. Rainer Weiss, professor of physics at MIT, said: ‘I certainly feel humbled to be


put in the same category as the giants of physics.’ He added the prize is ‘wonderful for everyone who has been working on this [gravitational wave detection]’. Weiss noted during a press conference


that the most recent gravitational wave detection by Virgo was the most interesting to date, as the team was able to pinpoint the source of the waves to only 60 square degrees, more than 10 times better than for the two LIGO interferometers alone. He added the real payoff of the work that won the Nobel Prize is going to be in the future.


Photonic Solutions announces employee-backed buyout


An employee backed buyout (EBO) of Photonic Solutions has been completed successfully. The EBO consists of eight experienced employees, with Andrew Blain leading the team and being appointed managing director, Dr Elaine Blackwood appointed as director of sales and marketing, Dr Craig Garvie appointed as sales director, and Dr Ben Agate appointed business development director. Stephen Campbell, partner at Panoramic Growth Equity, an equity investor which supported the purchase, will join the board. Founded in 1999 following an


MBO of the Agency Division of Edinburgh Instruments, Photonic


Solutions has become recognised as one of Europe’s leading laser and photonics suppliers. John Macleod, the retiring MD, was one of original founders of the company, and along with John O’Connor, retiring sales and marketing director, worked closely with the employees to help enable the EBO. Both were keen to keep the firm independent, local and in the hands of the staff. John Macleod said the


EBO was a great solution for everyone: ‘John O’Connor and myself are delighted that the business is now owned by our former colleagues. It could not be in better hands!’


6 Electro Optics November 2017


@electrooptics | www.electrooptics.com


Photonic Solutions NSF/LIGO/Sonoma State University/A. Simonnet


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