TAMA 300 is a
gravitational wave detector located at the Mitaka campus of the
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
The (NAOJ) is an astronomy, astronomical research organisation comprising several facilities in Japan, as well as an observatory in Hawaii and Chile. It was established in 1988 as an amalgamation of three existing research organizations - the To ...
.
It is a project of the
gravitational wave
Gravitational waves are oscillations of the gravitational field that Wave propagation, travel through space at the speed of light; they are generated by the relative motion of gravity, gravitating masses. They were proposed by Oliver Heaviside i ...
studies group at the
Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR) of the
University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
. The ICRR was established in 1976 for cosmic ray studies, and is currently developing the
Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector (KAGRA).
TAMA 300 was preceded in Mitaka by a 20m prototype TAMA 20 in years 1991-1994. Later the prototype was moved underground to Kamioka mine and renamed LISM. It operated 2000-2002 and established seismic quietness of the underground location.
Construction of the TAMA project started in 1995. Data were collected from 1999 to 2004. It adopted a
Fabry–Pérot Michelson interferometer
The Michelson interferometer is a common configuration for optical interferometry and was invented by the American physicist Albert Abraham Michelson in 1887. Using a beam splitter, a light source is split into two arms. Each of those light be ...
(FPMI) with power recycling. It is officially known as the 300m Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Antenna due to having 300 meter long (optical) arms.
The goal of the project was to develop advanced techniques needed for a future kilometer sized interferometer and to detect gravitational waves that may occur by chance within the
Local Group
The Local Group is the galaxy group that includes the Milky Way, where Earth is located. It has a total diameter of roughly , and a total mass of the order of .
It consists of two collections of galaxies in a " dumbbell" shape; the Milky Way ...
.
Observation of TAMA has been terminated, and work moved to the 100 m
Cryogenic Laser Interferometer Observatory (CLIO) prototype in
Kamioka mine.
As of 2020, modified TAMA 300 is used as a testbed to develop new technologies.
See also
*
CLIO
In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; ), also spelled Kleio, Сleio, or Cleo, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre-playing.
Etymology
Clio's name is derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλείω (meaning ...
, a prototype
interferometric
Interferometry is a technique which uses the '' interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber opt ...
gravitational wave detector operating in Japan.
*
KAGRA, a state-of-the-art interferometric gravitational wave detector under development in Japan
References
Interferometers
Gravitational-wave telescopes
Astronomical observatories in Japan
University of Tokyo
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