START
| 
Courtesy of CalTech
Einstein�s spirit is up for revival deep in the bayou of Livingston, Louisiana. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and its twin in Hanford, Washington, were designed to detect the existence of gravity waves – the undulations in the space-time continuum predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity.
The $300 million behemoths work by firing laser beams down two 2½-mile pipelines laid out at a right angle. The beams, which originate from the crook of each L-shaped facility, travel down their respective pipelines, bounce off a mirror at the ends, and return to the center, never wavering. But, LIGO researchers hope, if a gravity wave ripples by, the space around one pipe will stretch while the other shrinks, shaking the mirrors and interfering with the laser beam � the proof scientists are looking for.
Some researchers are grumbling that the only thing rarer than a gravity wave is a well-funded science project. The Bush administration�s slashed budget means LIGO will be the last big US physics facilities to be built for years.
| START
| A Smarter Way to Sell Ketchup
| Better Prostitution Through Technology
| Eyes in the Back of Your Mouth
| Centers of Gravity
