Pendulum

(A Processing program illustrating vibration isolation)

Modern gravitational wave detectors are sophisticated laser interferometers. The main optical elements are suspended as pendulums in order to make the optics more `quiet'. The pendulum isolates the optics from the seismic vibrations of the ground. This applet illustrates how the suspended mass of a pendulum can by moving less than the string holding the pendulum. To start using the applet click the image below, the applet page also contains more information regarding the use and features of the program.

The applet was programmed during my summer placement at the University of Birmingham, UK. See also our other Processing examples.