"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
7 Oct 2017
The ambitious LIGO India project of setting up interferometer to observe gravitational waves will begin soon as four sites with low seismic noise have been earmarked for the project.
LIGO India project is the advanced gravitational-wave detector planned in India in collaboration with US-based LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) Science Collaboration. The project received in-principle approval from the union cabinet in February 2016.
The detector in India will form a triangulate along with the two US-based instruments that will enable to record gravitational waves with more accuracy.
RRCAT scientific officer (G) Dr. Sendhil Raja S, who heads the Laser and Optical Instrumentation Laboratory at the facility said that the site selection is an important part of the project as it should have low seismic noise for error-free recordings. He added that the Deccan Plateau falls in seismic zone two, which has lowest seismic noise in India.
Two of the four sites chosen for the LIGO India project are in Madhya Pradesh and one each is in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Scientists of city-based Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) were involved in identifying the suitable sites.
The LIGO India detector is similar to US-based LIGO detectors in component, sensitivity and noise functions and is expected to come up by 2022. The detector will be spread in 4km area.
