Search for non-Gaussian events in the data of the VIRGO E4 engineering run

International audienc

The gravitational wave detector VIRGO

International audienc

The Virgo data acquisition system

International audienc

Status of Virgo

We report on the status of the VIRGO detector as of the beginning of 2003. In particular, we summarize the results obtained during the commissioning of the central portion of the detector, consisting of a power-recycled Michelson interferometer, and we outline the steps which will lead during 2003 and 2004 to the commissioning and operation of the full scale, 3 km long VIRGO detector

Data analysis methods for non-Gaussian, nonstationary and nonlinear features and their application to VIRGO

The commissioning of the VIRGO central interferometer occasioned the implementation and tests of various algorithms for the characterization of the non-Gaussianity, non-stationarity and non-linearity of the dark fringe data. This library of prototypes will serve as groundwork for the near commissioning of VIRGO (full scale). We make a summary of the activities on that subject including the description of the selected algorithms and some results obtained with the data of the engineering runs