The LIGO Advanced System Test Interferometer (or LASTI for short) is installed in the high-bay of our laboratory in MIT's building NW17. The LASTI serves as a test-bed for designs for next-generation gravitational-wave detectors and has the unique capability of housing full-size mechanical designs for the test-mass suspension and isolation systems. It is made up of standard full-scale LIGO vacuum chambers, arrayed in an 'L' configuration with arms lengths of 15 meters (in contrast to LIGO's 4km!).
The vacuum envelope (see photo) installation was completed in December '98. Seismic isolation systems which are identical to those in LIGO will be installed in the vacuum envelope in mid-summer '00, and external pre-isolators to bring the environmental noise to LIGO-site like levels will be installed shortly thereafter. The primary initial research goals are to demonstrate the next generation of isolation and suspension systems for LIGO (as described in the LSC White Paper). Contact Mike Zucker or David Shoemaker for more information.
Pictured at left is the
X-arm of LASTI (looking towards the BSC). The chamber on the end is a
Horizontal
Access Module (or HAM, for short).
Pictured at right is the Y-arm
of LASTI (looking towards the BSC). This arm not only has a HAM on the arm's
end, but one in the midsection, as well.