LIGO Acronyms and Abbreviations
A - D | E - H | I - L | M - P | Q - T | U - Z

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[ A - D ]
AAAS Amercian Association for the Advancement of Science
ACIGA Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy
ACWP Actual Cost of Work Performed
ADC Analog-to-Digital Converter
AdL Advanced LIGO
AMU Atomic Mass Unit
ANU Australian National University
AOC Adaptive Optics Compensation
AOS Auxiliary Optics System
API Application Programming Interface
ASC Alignment Sensing and Control
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode (communications protocol)
BAC Budget at Completion
BCWP Budgeted Cost of Work Performed
BCWS Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled
BH Black Hole
BSC Beam Splitter Chamber also Basic Symmetric Chamber
CACR Center for Advanced Computer Research (Caltech)
CAD Computer Aided Design
CB&I Chicago Bridge & Iron
CCB Change Control Board
CCD Charged Coupled Device
CDR Conceptual Design Review
CDRL Contract Data Requirements List
CDS Control and Data Systems
COC Core Optics Components
CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (Australia)
CSSR Cost Schedule Status Report
CW Continuous Wave
DAC Digital-to-Analog Converter
DAQ Data Acquisition System
DCC Document Control Center
DMRO Differential Mode Read-Out
DRR Design Requirements Review
DSP Digital Signal Processing
 
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[ E - H ]
E2E End-To-End Modeling (interferometer simulation)
EAC Estimate at Completion
EPI External Pre-Isolator
EPICS Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System
ER Engineering Run
ETF Engineering Test Facility
ETM End Test Mass
Ex Engineering Run x (e.g. E4 is Engineering Run 4)
FAC Facility Modifications
FDR Final Design Review
FFT Fast (Discrete) Fourier Transform
FTE Full Time Equivalent
GASF Geometrical Anti-Spring Filter
GEO British-German Cooperation for Gravity Wave Experiment
GFLOPS 1000 MFLOPS
GPS Global Positioning System
GRB Gamma-Ray Burst
GUI Graphical User Interface
GWDAW Gravitational Wave Data Analysis Workshop
GWIC Gravitational Wave International Committee
HAM Horizontal Access Modules
HEPI Hydraulic External Pre-Isolator
HPSS High Performance Storage System (IBM)
HVAC Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
 
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[ I - L ]
IDE Integrated Drive Electronics (disk standard)
IFO Interferometer
InGaAs Indium-Gallium-Arsenide
INSA French National Institute for Applied Science
IO Input Optics
IP Inverted Pendulum
ISC Interferometer Sensing and Control
ITM Input Test Mass
IV&V Integration, Verification, and Validation
kpc Kiloparsec
LAL LIGO Algorithm Library
LASTI LIGO Advanced System Test Interferometer
LDAS LIGO Data Analysis System
LHO LIGO Hanford Observatory
LIGO Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory
LISA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
LLO LIGO Livingston Observatory
LMXB Low-Mass X-Ray Binary
LSC LIGO Scientific Collaboration also Length Sensing and Control System
LVDT Linear Variable Differential Transducer
LVEA Laser and Vacuum Equipment Area (at observatory corner station)
LZH Laser Zentrum Hannover
 
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[ M - P ]
MB Megabyte
MC Mode Cleaner
MDC Mock Data Challenge
MEPI Magnetic External Pre-Isolator
MFLOPS Million Floating Point Operations Per Second
MGASF Monolithic Geometrical Anti-Spring Filter
MIMO Multiple Input, Multiple Output
MOPA Master Oscillator-Power Amplifier
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
Mpc Megaparsec
MPI Message Passing Interface
MRE Major Research Equipment
MSU Moscow State University
NBI Neutron Star Binary Inspiral
NPRO Non-Planar Ring Oscillator
NS Neutron Star
OOP Object-Oriented Programming
OPD Optical Path Difference
OSB Operations Support Building
OSEM Optical Shadow Sensor and Magnetic Actuator
PAC Program Advisory Committee
PDR Preliminary Design Review
PDRR Preliminary Design Requirements Review
PDT Photodetector
PEM Physical and Environmental Monitor
PM Project Management
PMP Project Management Plan
Ppm Parts per million
PRC Power Recycling Cavity
PRM Power Recycling Mirror
PSL Prestabilized Laser
 
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[ Q - T ]
QND Quantum Non-Demolition
QPD Quadrant Photo Diode
R&D Research and Development
RAID Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
RC Recycling Cavity
REO Research Electro-Optics (Company Name)
REU Research Experience for Undergraduates
RF Radio Frequency
RFP Request for Proposal
RMS Root mean square
RSE Resonant Sideband Extraction
s Second
s/s Samples/second
SAP Sapphire Core Optics
SAS Seismic Attenuation System
SEI Seismic Isolation System
SEM Secondary Emission Monitor
SIOM Shanghai Institute of Optical Materials
SLC Stray Light Control
SOS Small Optics Suspension
SR Signal Recycled (interferometer configuration)
SRM Signal Recycling Mirror
SUP Support Equipment
SURF Summer Undergraduate Research Foundation
SUS Suspension System
TAMA Japanese Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Project
TB Terabytes
TNI Thermal Noise Interferometer
 
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[ U - Z ]
UHV Ultra High Vacuum
UL Upper Limits
VEA Vacuum Equipment Area (at observatory mid- and end-stations)
VIRGO Italian-French Laser Interferometer Collaboration
VME Versa Modular Eurocard (IEEE 1014)
VSRM Variable Signal Recycling Mirror
WAN Wide Area Network
WBS Work Breakdown Structure
 
updated 07.15.04
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