Editing LIGO (section)

====Detections====
On 11 February 2016, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and [[Virgo interferometer|Virgo Collaboration]] published a paper about the [[First observation of gravitational waves|detection of gravitational waves]], from a signal detected at 09.51 [[UTC]] on 14 September 2015 of two ~30 [[solar mass]] black holes merging about 1.3 billion [[light-years]] from Earth.<ref name="PhysRevLett.116.061102">{{cite journal |title=Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger |journal=Physical Review Letters |volume=116 |issue=6 |pages=061102 |date=11 February 2016 |last=LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration |first=B. P. Abbott|doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102 |pmid=26918975 |arxiv = 1602.03837 |bibcode = 2016PhRvL.116f1102A |s2cid=124959784 }}</ref><ref name="Nature_11Feb16" />

Current executive director [[David Reitze]] announced the findings at a media event in Washington D.C., while executive director emeritus Barry Barish presented the first scientific paper of the findings at CERN to the physics community.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/2131411 | title=New results on the Search for Gravitational Waves| year=2016| series=CERN Colloquium}}</ref>

On 2 May 2016, members of the [[LIGO Scientific Collaboration]] and other contributors were awarded a [[Fundamental Physics Prize|Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics]] for contributing to the direct detection of gravitational waves.<ref name=FPP-May2016>{{cite web|title=Fundamental Physics Prize – News|url=https://breakthroughprize.org/News/32|publisher=Fundamental Physics Prize (2016)|access-date=4 May 2016}}</ref>

On 16 June 2016 LIGO announced a [[GW151226|second signal]] was detected from the merging of two black holes with 14.2 and 7.5 times the mass of the Sun. The signal was picked up on 26 December 2015, at 3:38 UTC.<ref name="chu"/>

The detection of a third black hole merger, between objects of 31.2 and 19.4 solar masses, occurred on 4 January 2017 and was announced on 1 June 2017.<ref name = "Abbott2017">{{cite journal |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.221101 |pmid= 28621973 |title= GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2 |journal= [[Physical Review Letters]] |date= 1 June 2017 |author=B. P. Abbott |display-authors=etal |collaboration=[[LIGO Scientific Collaboration]] and [[Virgo interferometer|Virgo Collaboration]] |volume=118 |issue= 22 |pages=221101|arxiv=1706.01812 |bibcode=2017PhRvL.118v1101A |s2cid= 206291714 }}</ref><ref name = SciNews2017.06.01>{{cite journal | last = Conover | first = E. | title = LIGO snags another set of gravitational waves | journal = [[Science News]] | date = 1 June 2017 | url = https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ligo-snags-another-set-gravitational-waves | access-date = 3 June 2017}}</ref> [[Laura Cadonati]] was appointed the first deputy spokesperson.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.gatech.edu/news/2017/04/20/college-sciences-professor-appointed-top-role-search-gravitational-waves | title=College of Sciences Professor Appointed to Top Role in Search for Gravitational Waves &#124; News Center }}</ref>

A fourth detection of a black hole merger, between objects of 30.5 and 25.3 solar masses, was observed on 14 August 2017 and was announced on 27 September 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=GW170814 : A three-detector observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole coalescence|url=https://dcc.ligo.org/LIGO-P170814/public/main|access-date=29 September 2017}}</ref>

In 2017, Weiss, Barish, and Thorne received the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves." Weiss was awarded one-half of the total prize money, and Barish and Thorne each received a one-quarter prize.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 2017|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2017/press.html|website=Nobelprize.org|access-date=4 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="BBC-20171003">{{cite news |last1=Rincon |first1=Paul |last2=Amos |first2=Jonathan |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41476648|title=Einstein's waves win Nobel Prize |work=[[BBC News]] |date=3 October 2017 |access-date=3 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20171003">{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |title=2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to LIGO Black Hole Researchers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/science/nobel-prize-physics.html |date=3 October 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=3 October 2017 }}</ref>

After shutting down for improvements, LIGO resumed operation on 26 March 2019, with Virgo joining the network of gravitational-wave detectors on 1 April 2019.<ref>{{Cite web | url= https://www.ligo.org/news/pr-O3resumes.pdf| title=LSC News}}</ref> Both ran until 27 March 2020, when the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] halted operations.<ref name="O3suspended" /> During the COVID shutdown, LIGO underwent a further upgrade in sensitivity, and observing run O4 with the new sensitivity began on 24 May 2023.<ref name=":1" />