Author:
Pinard L.,Ganau P.,Mackowski J.M.,Michel C.,Napolitano M.,Vireton E.,Boccara A.C.,Loriette V.,Piombini H.
Abstract
Virgo is a franco-italian project which goal is to build a giant Michelson type interferometer to detect gravitational waves (1). As the typical signal to be detected is very small, all the optics in this interferometer must be almost perfect with extreme low total losses (Absorption and scattering in the range of 1 part per million (ppm)) and a high wavefront homogeneity on about 400 mm diameter.