This work is part of the research activities of the Gravitational Waves group at the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), which contributes to the Virgo experiment through the development, integration and commissioning of advanced instrumentation aimed at improving the detector’s sensitivity. In particular, IFAE plays a leading role in the understanding and control of stray light inside the interferometer, a known limiting factor for gravitational-wave detectors.

During the first week of April, IFAE engineers Pepe Illa, David Román and Otger Ballester, members of the IFAE Technical Division, travelled to the European Gravitational Observatory (EGO) to carry out the installation and validation of the final data transmission electronics for an instrumented baffle located in the West End tower of Virgo.

The team installed both wireless (WiFi) and wired (RS485) communication systems and conducted extended operation tests under real detector conditions. The successful transmission of data over several periods, without introducing any interference in the Virgo interferometer, confirms the full compatibility of the system with the detector environment. This validation represents a concrete technological outcome of IFAE’s instrumental R&D programme and a necessary step towards the deployment of advanced stray-light monitoring systems in Virgo.