India set to listen to space time murmurs
Channel: IISER Pune Science Activity Centre
Date: 2021-03-02

Very Interesting and informative video on LIGO - India Project

Laser Interferometry Gravitational-Wave Observatory or LIGO are massive ground-based detectors that measure gravitational waves. Hanford and Livingston in the US and Italy together host three detectors that make up the LIGO-VIRGO scientific collaboration. LIGO India will be among a few colossal physics apparatus set up only at a few locations across the world to detect these gravitational waves! However, what are gravitational waves? They are 'ripples' in space-time caused by activities associated with dense objects in the universe like black holes and neutron stars. Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity. These ripples are expected to travel at the speed of light and carry uncontaminated information on the dynamics at the cored of extremely violent astrophysical phenomenon that is otherwise unavailable through other astronomical observations. While very violent activities in the universe cause these disturbances in space-time, the gravitational wave reaching cause a displacement signal in the apparatus much smaller in amplitude that even the order of a proton's size when they reach the earth. On September 14, 2015, LIGO sensed gravitational waves generated by two colliding black holes 1.3 billion light-years away. This discovery is one of humanity's most outstanding achievements, which led to a Nobel Prize in 2017. Research in gravitational waves is a massive collaboration across the globe. The LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) was established in 1997. The LSC includes over 1200 scientists from over 100 institutions in 18 different countries, including about 100 members from India. LIGO India is a mega-science mission to set up the Laser Interferometry detector and advance technology to support this project continuously. The detector is coming up in Maharashtra, and we are looking forward to seeing developed facilities soon that will host and support scientists from around the world to bring the set up to fruition. Constructing another GW detector leads to a larger global network of gravitational wave detectors. This will help extract precise information from gravitational waves. Specifically, adding more detectors to the network improves our ability to locate sources, test theories of gravity, space, and time, and provide essential clues to puzzles in astrophysics and cosmology. For more info: https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/ligo-india 

As a part of the LSC, the Center for Gravitational Physics and Astronomy, an IUCAA-IISER Pune collaboration, students are being trained to be leading instrumentalists in gravitational-wave physics. At this time we study optical cavities and molecular spectra for laser stabilization. We build a replica of optical cavities in LIGO that cleans laser beams and make GW detection possible. We simulate and dig deeper into the intricacies of gravitational wave detectors. We study Quantum optics to understand and replicate squeezed light. We understand and build instruments to measure thermal noise in mirrors. These projects allow ambitious undergrad students to do serious science and keep them abreast with science's current frontiers. For more information, please watch the YouTube video. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAf2A1HAHBE&t=591s 
Note: This film is made by Science Media Centre, Physics department and Science Activity Centre IISER Pune.
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Production : Science Media Centre, IISER Pune  
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