MSV-2035 Astronomy Document - Inside Design - FINAL - FINAL

Astronomy & Astrophysics 75 The project requires development of ultra narrow line-width lasers with high powers, squeezed state lasers, expertise and facility for fabrication, testing and characterisation; ultra-flat optics of λ /3000; expertise in vibration isolation technology; electronics control techniques; advanced signal recovery techniques; contamination control techniques; QuantumMetrology that uses the quantummechanical nature of light (and matter) to improve measurements beyond the Standard Quantum Limit (SQL); etc. These highly sophisticated technologies and associated expertise can have immediate use in a wide range of industrial and technological applications in different domains. The LIGO detectors require an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) system involving about 8 kilometre long tubes with 1.2m -9 diameter, totalling about 10,000 cubic meters of vacuum kept at 10 torr. This is one of the largest UHV systems in the world. LIGO-India will need to replicate this UHV system. Building this facility is going to be a highly challenging task, not only due to the sheer volume to be kept under high vacuum, but also due to high accuracy levels required to be maintained duringmanufacture and installation. In general, it will require major involvement of Indian industries to build the LIGO-India detector, and demands constant collaboration between industry and academia. Experience of such an endeavour promises to take the industrial capabilities of the country forward by a large stride. The project will also create trained manpower who can work on precision instrumentation in highly controlled environments, which will have potential applications in a number of S&T areas, ranging from biotechnology, materials science and laser applications to space labs and other Mega Science Projects with overlapping requirements. 5.2 Other InternationalMega Projects with IndianContribution As mentioned in the previous Section, India is already a partner in three international astronomy mega projects and will make significant contributions to these projects. In addition to these, there are a few other international projects to which some Indian institutions are contributing. While some are through partnerships in observatories, a few others are through participation in the design and/or early development stages. 5.2.1 VeraCRubinObservatory - Legacy Survey of Space andTime TheVera C. Rubin Observatory houses the 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope with the goal of conducting a 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The LSST will image the sky continuously each night in six different filters, on an automated cadence, and over the course of the ten-year survey will collect about 800 images of each location in the sky. Located in Chile, it is funded by the National Science Foundation, U.S.A, the Department of Energy, U.S.A and the LSST Corporation (LSSTC). The LSSTC supports science collaborations in pre-survey activities and also builds agreements with international affiliates that contribute to the support of LSSToperations. The LSST is an ambitious project that will take giant strides toward understanding the Universe bymapping out a large part of the observable sky repeatedly. The key science areas that Rubin is expected to address are: (1) cosmology: probing dark energy and dark matter; (2) solar system: making an inventory of objects in the solar system; (3) extragalactic science: evolution of galaxies and their connections to dark matter; (4) transients: monitoring and exploring the transient sky; and (5) mapping theMilkyWay via faint stars. MEGA SCIENCE VISION-2035