TAMA 300
Encyclopedia
Gravitational wave detector
A gravitational wave detector is any experiment designed to measure gravitational waves, minute distortions of spacetime that are predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. The existence of gravitational radiation is a prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity. Gravitational...
located at the Mitaka campus of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
The is an astronomical research organisation comprising several facilities in Japan, as well as an observatory in Hawaii. It was established in 1988 as an amalgamation of three existing research organizations - the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory of the University of Tokyo, International Latitude...
. It is a project of the gravitational wave
Gravitational wave
In physics, gravitational waves are theoretical ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagates as a wave, traveling outward from the source. Predicted to exist by Albert Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves theoretically transport energy as...
studies group at the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research
Institute for Cosmic Ray Research
The Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo was established in 1976 for the study of cosmic rays....
(ICRR) of the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
. The ICRR was established in 1976 for cosmic ray studies, and is currently developing the Large Scale Cryogenic Gravitational Wave Telescope (LCGT).
The TAMA project started in 1995. It adopts a Fabry Perot Michelson Interferometer (FPMI) with power recycling. It is officially known as the 300m Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Antenna.
The goal of the project is to develop advanced techniques needed for a future kilometer sized interferometer and to detect gravitational waves that may occur by chance within our local group of galaxies.