Will the most advanced gravitational-wave observatory be located at the border region between Louvain, Eindhoven and Aachen? There is a good chance!
This would be a great opportunity for our region. The established scientific institutions in the region offer a natural base for the leading researchers using the facility. The business community and the regional economy will benefit from its construction and from activities related to it. This is why scientists, business and governments are jointly exploring the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion’s candidacy to host the telescope.
The first detection of a gravitational wave on September 14, 2015, created a whole new field of research in physics and astronomy. As well as light and fast particles, scientists can now also observe ripples in space-time. They are the only kind of signal which cannot be deflected or blocked by matter in their path. No light is released when two black holes collide, but their gravitational waves are always measurable. As a result, physicists are now gathering new information about the nature of neutron stars, black holes and the universe immediately after the Big Bang.
How sensitive will be the new Einstein Telescope. According Prof. Dr. Frank Linde of the University of Amsterdam it can measure the level increase of one droplet in the IJsselmeer (1000sq km and 4,4m deep). The telescope has a design sensitivity of 22 decimal places : 0,00000000000000000000001. This means that it can detect differences in distance ten thousand times smaller than the size of the protons in an atomic nucleus. To achieve that incredible accuracy, the observatory bounces laser beams up and down along 10km long tunnels, at a depth of 250m . An ultra-high vacuum and specially designed dampers filter out disruptive vibrations from the immediate environment. The entire technology is quiet, safe and clean: all it does is passively observe and record gravitational waves, which are an existing natural phenomenon.
