Einstein telescope in Walbrzych? Prof. Bulik: small chance

Einstein telescope may be one of the most important gravitational wave installations in the world. The search for a site for the construction of this device is underway. One of the sites under consideration is the vicinity of the Książ castle in Walbrzych. However, the chances are small, says astrophysicist Prof. Bulik. Tomasz Bulik.

European astrophysicists gathered around theoł European Gravitational Observatory are looking for a site to build the Einstein Telescope (ET). It would be one of the most important observatorioin gravitational waves in the world. – After the discovery of gravitational waves and last year’s Nobel Prize in this field, this idea has taken a nosedive – moIn an interview with PAP, astrophysicist prof. Tomasz Bulik of the Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory.

Prof. Bulik led in roseismic surveys in different parts of Europe. He was looking for an optimal site for the construction of the Einstein Telescope. With the help of extremely sensitive sensorsow checked where seismic conditions are most favorable. This is because even imperceptible tiny earth vibrations will interfere with theoctain gravitational wave readings. Astrophysicist conducted research m.in. in Sardinia, in the Pyrenees, in Hungary and in an underground geophysical laboratory under the Książ castle in Walbrzych.

– If one were to take into account geophysical, physical criteria alone, then southwestern Poland is a great region for the construction of the Einstein Telescope. However, this is not enough. As a rule, much more important is the money that the host of such a project is able to offer – mowi scientist.

And the cost of building the Einstein Telescope will be rather large – to amount to approx. 1.5 billion euros. However, the country hosting the observatory does not have to put up the entire amount. This is because when building such a large apparatus, usually a lot of countryoin sharing costs to moc tam wspolnie conduct research.

– However, in order to participate in the competition for who will build the observatory, Poland would have to show that it will invest a sum of several hundred million euros in scientific equipment. And the chances of this happening are rather small – assumes Prof. Bulik.

Since so far our country has not shown such interest, two majoroThe other sites now under consideration for the Einstein Telescope are the southern Netherlands (on the border of Belgium and Germany, coolna proposal by three countrieso(w) and Italian Sardinia. It is those areas that will struggle to attract, along with the construction of the Einstein Telescope, large investments, developoj industry of the latest technologies and outstanding scientistsoin and engineeroin from all over Europe.

Prof. Bulik says the ET will not be an optical device pointing at the sky. – This laboratory will be located underground. On the plan trotion, we would have three underground tunnels, each 10 km long, with three interferometers placed in them – similar to ground-based devices such as VIRGO or LIGO,” he says.

ET’s task will be to record gravitational waves, and thus distortions in space-time. And such distortions are created on Earth when gravitational waves induced during major events in space pass through our planet – for example. black hole mergers or neutron stars.

ET is expected to be 100 times more sensitive than current gravitational wave detectors – the American LIGO and the European Virgo. This means that ET may observe neutron star collisions 100 times farther away than we can detect now. And in astronomy, the ability to peek at events occurring very far away means being able to look into the past. Because the signal from very distant objectsoin need of e.g. many billionoin years to reach us.

– So with the Einstein Telescope, we could observe the coalescence (merging) of black holes, to ktorities that were occurring at the time of the formation of the first stars,” he said. And the first stars began to form 180 million years after the Big Bang, so 13.6 billion years ago. That’s not all. – We could also see the coalescence of neutron stars, to which theorych reached through 80 percent of the. The history of the universe (the last 11 billion years). We could also see where the limits of the ogolar theory of relativity – mentions.

– With ET, there would also be a chance to detect the primordial background of gravitational waves from the timeoin inflation. And then we could see the state of the universe just 10^-30 seconds after the Big Bang. This would be a huge step forwardod in astrophysical research! And to make it, we need 1.5 billion euros,” smiles Prof. Bulik.