h16

The last few months, since our previous issue, h15, have been characterised by the preparation and performing of VSR3, the third Virgo science run, and by intense outreach activity, peaking with the European Researcher’s Night. The success of the event is described in an article and, even better, by the picture published on our front page. I would like to underline that we had about 500 visitors in two days, to which we should add, in the same period, 40 Czech astronomers, 100 members of the Italian Society for Gravitation, 22 students of the ISAPP school and 20 directors of European Doctorate schools. Soon, on November 10, we will host 40 high school students performing research work at EGO over a whole day.
VSR3 is described in the article by Enrico Calloni, underlining the importance of having performed the run, even if “only” for a couple of months and without a top sensitivity. In fact, we have had the opportunity to set in place and test the important procedures defined to deal with worldwide alarm diffusion, in the case of potentially interesting candidate events. In some sense we could say that not knowing the difference of radius of curvature of the end mirrors before the installation was fortunate, as we may have subsequently decided not to install them, losing the chance to perform VSR3 together with the other detectors.

C.Bradaschia
Chief Editor