Global Collaboration

The U.S. National Science Foundation Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (NSF LIGO) is not the only gravitational-wave observatory in the world. While NSF LIGO's two detectors constitute a mini internal collaboration between LHO and LLO, an even larger gravitational-wave observatory collaboration exists between LIGO and other detectors and researchers around the world, including Virgo in Italy and KAGRA in Japan. Data from LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA are combined and analyzed jointly. This collaboration significantly enhances the search for gravitational waves.

To learn more about LIGO's broader, global gravitational wave research collaboration, click on the links below:

• Our Sister Facilities  Learn about LIGO’s sister facilities Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO
• LIGO-India: A Planned Joint India-US Detector  Describes the proposed LIGO-India project
• Our Collaboration  Many scientists and engineers work with LIGO outside of Hanford, Livingston, Caltech, and MIT. They are part of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration.