News: Construction of the LIGO India observatory in Hingoli district remains delayed as the ₹1,600-crore construction tender has not yet been awarded.
About LIGO India
- The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) India is a planned gravitational wave observatory that will work as part of the global network studying cosmic ripples in space-time.
- Location: The observatory will be built in Aundha area of Hingoli district in Maharashtra.
- Nodes
- It will be the third LIGO detector globally after Hanford and Livingston in the United States.
- It will also become the fifth major node in the global network, which includes Virgo (Italy) and KAGRA (Japan).
- Nodal Agencies: The project is jointly piloted by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), which also provide funding for the facilities.
- International partners: The project is implemented in collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF), USA, and the LIGO Laboratory.
- Indian Institutions involved: The project involves Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), and Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT).
- Budget: The project received financial approval of ₹2,300 crore from the Government of India.
- Timeline: The observatory is expected to be completed by 2030.
- Key features
- Laser interferometry system: The observatory will use advanced laser interferometry to measure extremely small distortions in space-time.
- Large L-shaped structure: The facility will have two 4-km-long vacuum arms placed at 90 degrees with mirrors at their ends.
- Global scientific network: The facility will operate in coordination with LIGO detectors in the United States and other international observatories.
- Precision infrastructure: The project includes ultra-high vacuum beam tubes, vibration-isolated platforms, control systems, and monitoring equipment.
About Gravitational Waves
- Nature: Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by extremely violent cosmic events.
- Prediction and discovery: They were predicted by Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and first detected in 2015 by LIGO in the United States.
- Origin: They are produced by events such as collisions of black holes or mergers of neutron stars.
- Properties: These waves travel at the speed of light and carry information about their cosmic origins and gravity.
