12 May 2023 — The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration is making progress towards the start of the next observing run. After three years of work to improve the performance of the detectors, Observing Run 4 (O4) is planned to start on May 24th, 2023. The LIGO detectors have moved from commissioning to running in engineering mode in preparation for O4. Virgo is also running in engineering mode, but for a limited fraction of time, giving priority to commissioning activities aimed at improving their sensitivity. KAGRA will continue commissioning up to one week before the start of the O4 to improve sensitivity.
The aim of this collaborative engineering run is to test the upgraded instruments and the systems required for the network of detectors to observe together.
The latest upgrades to the LIGO and Virgo instruments will result in more sensitive detectors, capable of sensing even fainter gravitational waves — which also means detecting more events than ever before.
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