EINSTEIN TELESCOPE

Introduction

The Einstein Telescope (ET) is a future third generation gravitational wave detector, currently being designed by different institutions in the European Union. It will be able to test Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity in strong field condition and realize precision gravitational wave astronomy. ET is officially a Design Study project supported by the European Commission under the Framework Programme 7 (FP7, Grant Agreement 211743).

The ET project concerns the study and the conceptual design for a new research infrastructure that will bring Europe to the forefront of the most promising new development in our quest to understand the history and future of the Universe, the emergence of the field of Gravitational Wave Astronomy. The importance of the ET project is evident; despite the fact that the design study activities are just started, the need for a 3rd generation gravitational wave observatory is already discussed in the roadmaps of the major astrophysics research institutions in Europe.

EGRG contributions to the ET project

EGRG has so far contributed to the ET project in many ways. We have supported the site selection efforts by studying the effects of the infrasonic (IS) environmental background noise on interferometric gravitational-wave detectors [D22]. In our work, we have put a major emphasis on third generation detectors, such as ET, which are designed to be built in underground mine tunnels. Within these underground tunnels, the acoustic noise affecting the detectors can be amplified. 

We have installed one of our self-developed IS microphone device to the LIGO Hanford interferometric detector, in order to continuously monitor the on-site infrasonic background and its possible coupling to the gravitational-wave data channel. We are currently invited to do investigative studies on the IS noise background and its coupling characteristics within the underground laboratory at Homestake, South Dakota. The investigations will directly support the detector design work of the ET project.

Participation in the 3rd Annual ET Workshop

Our group members participated in the 3rd Annual Workshop of the ET Project, held at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary, between the 23-24th of November 2010. The main targets of the workshop were to define the feasibility of a third generation gravitational wave observatory, to present the latest progresses in the design of the ET observatory and to ultimate the structure the Design Study document.

Participants of the 3rd Annual Workshop of the ET project.