from LIGO

Control Room, LIGO Hanford Observatory. May 27, 2006.

This is where I've been spending 10-12 hours each night. Two more nights and then I'm done!

Upper left clock gives time in UTC, upper right in local time. Center display shows the current signal spectra from the four (red) and two (blue) kilometer interferometers. Upper left projector display shows the current range at which these detectors could see a certain standard event, measured in megaparsecs. Out of frame to the left, current seismic (=disturbance) power in several frequency ranges... Closed-circuit television displays show laser beam cross-sections on various optics. Each computer workstation is a Sun workstation, each with two very nice, large, bright flatpanel displays. Console in the foreground is where the operator for the two kilometer interferometer sits. Center background computer terminal is the Scientific Monitor (scimon) terminal (mine!). To the right, Assistant Scimon (=nobody); though in practice any of those terminals are up for grabs.

Camped out beside a gigantic antenna, listening for a signal from far away in space, that nobody has heard before—it reminds me of Contact.