The American Physical Society (APS) has designated the two facilities of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) historic physics sites. LIGO made history in 2016 when it made the first direct detection of gravitational waves—ripples in space and time. At a dedication on June 20, 2018, in Livingston, Louisiana, two plaques were presented—one for each of the twin LIGO observatories in Livingston, Louisiana, and in Hanford, Washington.
Written by
Whitney Clavin

Image Lightbox

From left to right: Michael Landry, the head of LIGO Hanford; France Córdova (PhD '79), director of the National Science Foundation; Rainer Weiss, professor of physics, emeritus, at MIT; Joseph Giaime, head of LIGO Livingston; Roger Falcone, president of the APS; David Reitze, executive director of the LIGO Laboratory; and F. King Alexander, president of Louisiana State University (LSU). [VIEW LARGER]
Credit: LSU
Download Full Image