An agreement has been signed between India and the UK focusing on building capacity within India for a new LIGO gravitational wave detector – adding to two which are already operational in the USA. The project will open the way to closer collaboration between scientists in India and their counterparts in UK universities, including the University of Southampton.
The LIGO India partnership is funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) through its Newton-Bhabha project on LIGO. Newton Bhabha is a fund aimed at bringing together the UK and Indian scientific research and innovation sectors.
Artists impression of merging neutron stars. Credit: ESO/L Calçada/M Kornmesser
The two existing LIGO detectors, together with a detector in Italy (VIRGO), are already yielding ground-breaking results – confirming the existence of gravitational waves, with the observation of two merging black holes in 2015, and the first detection of two colliding neutron stars in 2017.
The University will make contributions to training in the field of theory modelling and data analysis, as well as outreach activities and interaction with schools. Professor Nils Andersson of Mathematical Sciences commented:
“We are very happy to be part of this project, which builds on recent breakthrough gravitational-wave discoveries. There is enormous enthusiasm for this science across India, and we hope to contribute to making the wider LIGO India project a success by training young researchers and helping them develop the required precision technology.
“By working with schools across India we will bring the excitement of this new astronomy to the next generation of scientists. This adds a new dimension to our existing public engagement effort and promises to be very exciting indeed.”
The full press release is available to read here.
