Current status of the TAMA300 gravitational-wave detector

TAMA300, an interferometric gravitational-wave detector with a 300 m baseline length, has been developed and operated with sufficient sensitivity to detect gravitational-wave events within our galaxy and sufficient stability for observations. The interferometer was operated stably and continuously for intervals longer than 24 h with a strain noise level of 2 × 10−21 Hz−1/2. We carried out nine observation runs, and have obtained over 2700 h of data so far. These data are being analysed to look for gravitational-wave signals. In this paper, we review the design of the TAMA300 interferometer and the observation results, and briefly review the data-analysis activities. In addition, recent efforts to improve the detector are also reported.