Gravitational wave detector Expertise & Technology-GrOwth (GET-GO)

The first direct observation of gravitational waves from coalescing black holes and neutron stars by the LIGO/VIRGO Scientific collaborations (2015) opened a new window on the Universe; the gravitational wave window. Sine this initial observation, there have been several >60 events detected, including black hole binaries, neutrons star binaries and black hole-neutron star binaries. The 4th observing run has recently started and with improved sensitivity many more events are to be expected. The focus is now very much on multi-messenger astronomy and rapid follow-up of events, using electromagnetic telescopes/particle astrophysics detectors in addition to the gravitational wave observations. However, for this to be efficient the sky localisation must be improved via the development of an international network. The siting of the 3rd aLIGO detector in India, an Indian science megaproject, gives such an opportunity for enhanced localisation, as a further enhancement to the baselines between the LIGO (US) and VIRGO (Europe) detectors.

However, it is essential that skilled students, postdocs and early career researchers are trained at the highest level in gravitational wave astronomy, for construction of the infrastructure & technology, and development of artificial intelligence /machine learning algorithms and efficient data pipelines. LIGO India estimates that 50-70 people will need to be trained in the next 5-10 years. In turn, the LIGO India project will help Indian scientific community to be a major player in the emerging research frontier of GW astronomy. There are further opportunities to capitalise on the recently STFC funded A+ upgrade (STFC are supporting the $30million NSF aLIGO upgrade), allowing the LIGO India detector to integrate the most up-to-date technology when it is switched on in 2028.

The consortium behind this proposal in the UK - the Universities of the West of Scotland, Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham, Strathclyde, Southampton, and Portsmouth - have a strong and extensive track record in detector development, data analysis and background theory and astrophysics for the gravitational wave field. Thus, the consortium is ideally suited to provide training for students, research assistants and early career researchers in India. Similarly, on the Indian side the Raja Ramana Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) and the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) are key Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) sites for LIGO India activities. RRCAT is tasked with developing the hardware for LIGO India, while TIFR is developing a critical mass around coating technology and coating innovation.

We will utilise this ISPF grant to train / upskill both India and UK scientists at all levels of their academic career. This will be achieved through R&D work packages aligned to "New suspension development and construction", "Optical coating R&D", "Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) for new interferometry control techniques", and "Supporting the upgrade of RRCAT 10m prototype interferometer". We will also tackle the Innovation angle via the development of low-loss, low-scatter coatings applicable for gravitational waves, and the development of low-cost telescopes for multi-messenger astronomy and neutron star/kilonova follow-up.

The consortium will arrange opportunities for researchers to travel to / from India and the UK to capacity build and perform on-site training of researchers, with a variety of short (2 weeks), medium (3 months) and long duration visits (6-12 months). The longer duration (12 month) visits to UK will form Master level research projects to upskill Indian researchers in gravitational wave expertise.