LISO - Laser Interferometer Sound-Wave Observatory

The existence of gravitational waves was predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916. A century later, in 2016, researchers successfully detected the first direct evidence of gravitational waves, using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). This work earned three scientists the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics in October 2017.

I created a system of 2 modified Michelson-interferometers in order to detect sound waves and to pinpoint the exact location of the sound source. This is inspired by the detection of gravitational waves by a system of 2 LIGOs located in Livingston and Hanford, USA.

1:02 Basic setup of modified Michelson Interferometer
2:35 Interference pattern shifting demo
3:55 Actual run
4:39 How to pinpoint the location of waves source

Special thanks to Dr Erkan Polatdemir for the access to the Photonics Lab and his guidance, Mdm Chua Chai Siew Adeline for her unwavering support during the experiment setup and the filming.