DECIGO: the Japanese Space Gravitational Wave Antenna

Masaki ANDO; Seiji KAWAMURA; Shuichi SATO; Takashi NAKAMURA; Kimio TSUBONO; Akito ARAYA; Ikkoh FUNAKI; Kunihito IOKA; Nobuyuki KANDA; Shigenori MORIWAKI; Mitsuru MUSHA; Kazuhiro NAKAZAWA; Kenji NUMATA; Shin-ichiro SAKAI; Naoki SETO; Takeshi TAKASHIMA; Takahiro TANAKA; the DECIGO Working Group

doi:10.2322/tastj.8.Po_4_1

o-4) Innovation in Space Mission and Control Engineering

DECIGO: the Japanese Space Gravitational Wave Antenna

Masaki ANDO, Seiji KAWAMURA, Shuichi SATO, Takashi NAKAMURA, Kimio TSUBONO, Akito ARAYA, Ikkoh FUNAKI, Kunihito IOKA, Nobuyuki KANDA, Shigenori MORIWAKI, Mitsuru MUSHA, Kazuhiro NAKAZAWA, Kenji NUMATA, Shin-ichiro SAKAI, Naoki SETO, Takeshi TAKASHIMA, Takahiro TANAKA, the DECIGO Working Group

Author information

Masaki ANDO
Department of Physics, Kyoto University
Seiji KAWAMURA
National Astronomical Observatory Japan
Shuichi SATO
Faculty of Engineering, Hosei University
Takashi NAKAMURA
Department of Physics, Kyoto University
Kimio TSUBONO
Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo
Akito ARAYA
Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo
Ikkoh FUNAKI
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Kunihito IOKA
Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)
Nobuyuki KANDA
Department of Physics, Osaka City University
Shigenori MORIWAKI
Department of Advanced Materials Science, The University of Tokyo
Mitsuru MUSHA
Institute for Laser Science, The University of Electro-Communications
Kazuhiro NAKAZAWA
Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo
Kenji NUMATA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Shin-ichiro SAKAI
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Naoki SETO
Department of Physics, Kyoto University
Takeshi TAKASHIMA
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Takahiro TANAKA
Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University
the DECIGO Working Group

Keywords: DECIGO, DECIGO Pathfinder, Gravitational Waves, Gravity, Formation Flight

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2010 Volume 8 Issue ists27 Pages Po_4_1-Po_4_6

DOI https://doi.org/10.2322/tastj.8.Po_4_1

Details

Abstract

A space gravitational wave antenna, DECIGO (DECI-hertz interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) will provide fruitful insights into the universe, particularly on dark energy, the formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and the inflation of the universe. In the current pre-conceptual design, DECIGO will be comprised of 4 interferometer units; each interferometer unit will be realized by formation flight of three drag-free spacecraft with 1000 km separation. Since DECIGO will be an extremely challenging mission with high-precision formation flight, it is important to increase the technical feasibility before its planned launch in 2024. Thus, we are planning two milestone missions. DECIGO pathfinder (DPF) is the first milestone mission for DECIGO, and key components for DPF are being tested on ground and in orbit. In this article, we review the conceptual design and current status of DECIGO and DPF.

Corresponding author

Register with J-STAGE for free!