Deployed at a depth of 200 meters in the old mines of Kamioka, KAĞRA It consists of two tunnels, each 3 kilometers long, intersecting at right angles. The detector works with the help of laser beams passing through mirrors in the tunnels.

When a gravitational wave passes through them, it causes space-time to warp and changes the length of the tunnels, an event recorded by lasers.

How was KAGRA used?

The KAGRA detector, which started its scientific observations in May 2023, aimed to contribute to ongoing gravitational wave research. The discovery of these waves brought the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017, thanks to the contributions of the American detector LIGO and the Italian Virgo.

How serious is the damage?

The last earthquake did not cause human casualties or tunnel collapse, but damaged the vibration isolators of the KAGRA plant. This is expected The repair process will take several monthsThe Japanese detector will therefore miss the start of the new scientific gravimetric study cycle in March.

The importance of KAGRA’s participation in global observations of gravitational waves is great. It consists in a potential increase in the accuracy of localization of gravitational events. As detectors become more widespread around the world, the probability of detecting the source of waves detected in a certain region of the sky, or even a particular phenomenon, increases. Of the several hundred gravitational waves recorded today, only one event has been conclusively linked to an object in the sky.

Although this loss is significant for the scientific community, it is not irreversible. Scientists do not lose hope that the Japanese gravitational wave detector will be repaired in time and are making concerted efforts to repair it. This tool is crucial to humanity’s research arsenal because it allows deepening the understanding of elusive cosmic events.