THE GLOBAL NETWORK OF LASER INTERFEROMETER GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS

Over the past decade, gravitational wave detectors have undergone dramatic transitions in both sensitivity and scale — from laboratory-sized resonant bar detectors to kilometer-length-scale laser interferometers. The construction and operation of large-scale laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo interferometer as well as others have enabled searches for extra-galactic gravitational waves with unprecedented range and sensitivity. Here, we review the present state of the global laser-interferometric gravitational wave detector network, highlight the results of recent science runs, and provide a preview of the state of the network in the coming decade and beyond.