Impact of the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake on KAGRA

We are currently investigating the impact of the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake on KAGRA facilities. Fortunately, no serious damage to KAGRA facilities, such as human casualties or tunnel collapses, has been confirmed. However, it is becoming clear that the vibration isolation systems of the gravitational wave detector of KAGRA are severely affected. Although the full extent of the damage has not been revealed yet, a delay of the restart of the KAGRA’s observing run, which has been prepared and scheduled for this spring, is inevitable. We will continue to assess the damage.