  A new generation of observatories is looking for gravitational waves. These
waves, emitted by highly relativistic systems, will open a new window for ob-
servation of the cosmos when they are detected. Among the most promising
sources of gravitational waves for these observatories are compact binaries in
the final min- utes before coalescence. In this article, we review in brief
interferometric searches for gravitational waves emitted by neutron star
binaries, including the theory, instru- mentation and methods. No detections
have been made to date. However, the best direct observational limits on
coalescence rates have been set, and instrumentation and analysis methods
continue to be refined toward the ultimate goal of defining the new field of
gravitational wave astronomy.
