The
DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (or DECIGO) is a proposed
Japanese, space-based,
gravitational wave observatory. The laser interferometric
gravitational wave detector
A gravitational-wave detector (used in a gravitational-wave observatory) is any device designed to measure tiny distortions of spacetime called gravitational waves. Since the 1960s, various kinds of gravitational-wave detectors have been buil ...
is so named because it is to be most sensitive in the frequency band between 0.1 and 10 Hz, filling in the gap between the sensitive bands of
LIGO
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory designed to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. Two large o ...
and
LISA. If funding can be found, its designers hope to launch it in 2027.
The design is similar to LISA, with three
zero-drag satellites in a triangular arrangement, but using a smaller separation of only 1000 km whose relative displacements are measured by a
Fabry–Pérot Michelson interferometer. The precursor mission
B-DECIGO with 100 km long arms is planned to be launched in the late 2020s, target is an Earth orbit with an average altitude of 2000 km.
Shuichi Sato, Seiji Kawamura, Masaki Ando, Takashi Nakamura, Kimio Tsubono, Akito Araya, Ikkoh Funaki, Kunihito Ioka, Nobuyuki Kanda, Shigenori Moriwaki, "The status of DECIGO"
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See also
* Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a proposed space probe to detect and accurately measure gravitational waves—tiny ripples in the fabric of spacetime—from astronomical sources. LISA would be the first dedicated space-based ...
(LISA)
* List of proposed space observatories
References
External links
DECIGO home page
(English)
Space telescopes
Interferometric gravitational-wave instruments
Astronomy in Japan
Proposed spacecraft
Satellites of Japan
2027 in science
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