Speaker
Description
Following a fruitful Observation Run 2 (O2, November 2016 - August 2017) marked by the first three-detector observation of a binary black hole merger and the first ever detection of a binary neutron merger followed by the discovery of the optical counterpart of the gravitational-wave signal, the LIGO and Virgo giant interferometers started a new upgrade phase with a twofold goal: to improve the sensitivity and the duty cycle of the three instruments before starting the Observation Run 3 (O3) next fall, which should last about a year.
After a brief review of the O2 data taking period and a summary of the main results achieved, including the successes of multi-messenger astronomy, we will describe the current upgrade campaign, review the performance achieved to date and conclude by presenting some prospects for O3.
