It’s no secret that Richland’s history is intertwined with the scientific exploration of nuclear energy, which stems back to the second World War. The city wasn’t yet on the map in 1943 when the United States government established the Hanford Site, the first full-scale plutonium production plant in the world, as part of the secretive Manhattan Project. Plutonium manufactured at the site would go on to be used in the atomic bomb that the U.S. detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. The site was later decommissioned during the Cold War, but several key scientific institutions remained in its place or grew in its absence. Chiefly, the Columbia Generating Station, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and the LIGO Hanford Observatory, each occupy a part of the nuclear site. The latter of which is opening their doors for public tours on October 8th.

The Site

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) is the site of one of the largest ongoing physics experiments in the world. In its simplest sense, LIGO seeks to detect and measure cosmic gravitational waves. The observatory uses mirrors spaced some four kilometers apart, which bounce a refined laser down two “arms” of the complex. This laser beam is so precise that fluctuations in its stability allow observers to accurately measure gravitational waves that pass through Earth’s atmosphere. Using this method, the LIGO site has successfully measured several black holes in our galaxy and discovered mergers between black holes and neutron stars in neighboring solar systems.

History

The LIGO site was originally constructed in 2002 with funding from the United States National Science Foundation (NSF). It was manned by scientists from MIT and Caltech who were asked to join the project. They began collecting data shortly thereafter but measured no gravitational waves until the 2010’s. LIGO is the largest and most ambitious project ever undertaken by the NSF, and the proof shows in their mammoth discoveries. A sister site was constructed near Livingston, Louisiana, and remains in operation today.

A Visit

With open tours scheduled for October 8th, now is an excellent time to plan a trip to the LIGO site. If you live in the Tri-Cities but have never had the pleasure of seeing the site firsthand, it’s well worth signing up to do so. Richland continues to make a name for itself as a hub for scientific discovery and advancement, and it’s important to understand the significant role our community plays on that front. The observatory will feature demonstrations that illustrate the advanced technology in use as well as a historical documentary about the site and smaller physics exhibits geared toward a younger audience. It’s the perfect place to take the family for a fun and educational look at some of the most ambitious scientific pursuits of our era.

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