View source for Indian Initiative in Gravitational-wave Observations

{{Short description|Gravitational wave observatory unit, india}}
{{redirect|INDIGO|other uses|Indigo (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox telescope}}
{{maplink |type=shape|id=Q5972232|frame=yes|frame-width=|frame-height=280|plain= |frame-align=right |frame-lat=19.6125|frame-long=77.0325|zoom=11|type2=point|stroke-width=1|frame-coordinates={{Coord|19.6125|N|77.01|E}}|text=Finalized construction site for LIGO India}}
'''INDIGO''' or '''IndIGO''' ('''Indian Initiative in Gravitational-wave Observations''') is a consortium of Indian [[Gravitational waves|gravitational wave]] physicists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gw-indigo.org/ |title=IndIGO &#124; Welcome |website=Gw-indigo.org |access-date=2016-02-11}}</ref> It is an initiative to set up advanced experimental facilities for a multi-institutional [[observatory]] project in [[gravitational-wave astronomy]] to be located near [[Aundha Nagnath]], [[Hingoli district|Hingoli District]], [[Maharashtra]], India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.iucaa.in/~li_events/limma_2019/Day3_LIProj_Souradeep_LIMMA2019.pdf|title=LIGO-India: Origins & site search|last=Souradeep|first=Tarun|date=18 January 2019|page=27|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915091406/https://www.iucaa.in/~li_events/limma_2019/Day3_LIProj_Souradeep_LIMMA2019.pdf|archive-date=15 September 2019|access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> Predicted date of commission is in 2030.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mann|first=Adam|date=2020-03-04|title=The golden age of neutron-star physics has arrived|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=579|issue=7797|pages=20–22|doi=10.1038/d41586-020-00590-8|pmid=32132697|bibcode=2020Natur.579...20M|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Since 2009, the IndIGO Consortium has been planning a roadmap for gravitational-wave astronomy and a phased strategy towards Indian participation in realizing a gravitational wave observatory in the Asia-Pacific region. IndIGO is the Indian partner (along with the [[LIGO]] Laboratory in the US) in planning the '''LIGO-India''' project,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gw-indigo.org/tiki-index.php?page=LIGO-India |title=LIGO-India |work=Indigo |date=2015 |access-date=2016-04-30 }}</ref> a planned advanced gravitational-wave detector to be located in India, whose concept proposal is now under active consideration by the science funding agencies in India and US.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://gw-indigo.org/ligo-india |title=IndIGO &#124; LIGO-India |website=Gw-indigo.org |access-date=2016-02-11}}</ref> The LIGO Laboratory, in collaboration with the U.S. [[National Science Foundation]] and Advanced LIGO partners from the U.K., Germany and Australia, has offered to provide all of the designs and hardware for one of the three planned Advanced LIGO detectors to be installed, commissioned, and operated by an Indian team of scientists in a facility to be built in India. A site near Aundha Nagnath in the Hingoli District, Maharashtra has been selected.<ref>{{cite news |title=First LIGO Lab Outside US To Come Up In Maharashtra's Hingoli |url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/first-ligo-lab-outside-us-to-come-up-in-maharashtras-hingoli-1456355 |date=8 September 2016 |journal=[[NDTV]]}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> In April 2023, the [[Union Council of Ministers|Cabinet of India]] approved the project to build the advanced gravitational-wave detector in Maharashtra at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 crore. The facility's construction is expected to be completed by 2030.<ref name="Bureau">{{Cite news |date=2023-04-07 |title=Cabinet approves LIGO-India, gravitational-wave detector to be built in Maha |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/cabinet-ligo-india-approved-hingoli-construction-2030/article66709606.ece |access-date=2023-04-07 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==Activities==
The IndIGO Consortium has spearheaded the proposal for the LIGO-India [[gravitational wave]] [[observatory]], in association with the LIGO laboratory in US. In addition to the LIGO-India project, the other activities of IndIGO involve facilitating international collaborations in gravitational-wave physics and astronomy, initiating a strong experimental gravitational-wave research program in India, training of students and young scientists, etc.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gw-indigo.org/goals |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414233313/http://www.gw-indigo.org/goals |archive-date=2013-04-14 |title=IndIGO &#124; Science Goals |website=Gw-indigo.org |access-date=2016-02-11 }}</ref>

The observatory will be operated jointly by IndIGO and [[LIGO]] and would form a single network along with the LIGO detectors in the U.S. and [[Virgo interferometer|Virgo]] in Italy. The design of the detector will be identical to that of the Advanced LIGO detectors in the U.S.<ref name="Nature2015">{{cite news |last=Priyadarshini |first=Subhra |url=http://www.natureasia.com/en/nindia/article/10.1038/nindia.2016.20 |title=Gravitational waves send ripples of joy for LIGO-India |journal=Nature India |location=India |date=11 February 2016 |doi=10.1038/nindia.2016.20 |access-date=2016-02-15 }}</ref>
<!-- Would like to find the town "Aundh" mentioned, but [[Aundh]] only lists towns by that name in Satara and Pune districts, and Hingoli is farther inland than either of those.  Any connection to [[Aundha Nagnath]]? -->

== Purpose ==
The major purpose of IndIGO is to set up the LIGO-India detector, which would help enhance the network of gravitational wave detectors worldwide. The network includes the two LIGO detectors in the US (in [[Hanford Site|Hanford]] and [[Livingston, Louisiana|Livingston]]), the [[Virgo interferometer|Virgo]] and [[GEO600]] detectors in Europe, and the [[KAGRA]] detector in Japan. By simultaneous detection of the same event on these multiple detectors, a precise location in the sky can be pinpointed for the source of the detected waves. For example, the first detected gravitational waves by LIGO could only pinpoint the location of the black hole merger source to a broad area of the southern hemisphere sky. Using triangulation, this location information could be improved if the signal was detected on more than two detectors. Another important goal of IndIGO is to train scientists for successfully operating the LIGO-India detector, when commissioned. Previous studies have shown that a detector operational in India would improve source localization significantly, by an order of magnitude or more, depending on the region of the sky.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=90988 |title=Improved source localization with LIGO-India |date=28 Sep 2012 |first=Stephen |last=Fairhurst |journal=Journal of Physics: Conference Series |volume=484 |article-number=012007 |doi=10.1088/1742-6596/484/1/012007 |id=LIGO document P1200054-v6|arxiv=1205.6611 |s2cid=118583506 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |arxiv=1102.5421 |title=Networks of Gravitational Wave Detectors and Three Figures of Merit |date=25 Apr 2011 |first=Bernard F. |last=Schutz|journal=Classical and Quantum Gravity |volume=28 |issue=12 |article-number=125023 |bibcode = 2011CQGra..28l5023S |doi = 10.1088/0264-9381/28/12/125023 |s2cid=119247573 }}</ref>

== Funding ==
The additional funding required to operate the LIGO-India detector was under consideration by the [[Government of India]] under the aegis of its [[Department of Science and Technology (India)|Department of science and technology]] (DST) and [[Department of Atomic Energy|Department of atomic energy]] (DAE). The U.S [[National Science Foundation]] agreed to the relocation of one of the Hanford detectors (L2) to LIGO-India provided that the additional funding required to house the detector in India would have to be sponsored by the host country.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/meetings/2012/0823/major_actions.pdf|title = Memorandum to Members and Consultants of the National Science Board|date = 24 August 2012 |access-date = 15 December 2019 |publisher = National Science Board }}</ref>
[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the Scientists from LIGO, who proved gravitational waves theory, in Washington DC on March 31, 2016.jpg|thumb|LIGO-India MoU Signing Ceremony]]
On 17 February 2016, less than a week after LIGO's announcement about the detection of gravitational waves, [[Prime Minister of India|Indian Prime Minister]] [[Narendra Modi]] announced that the [[Union Council of Ministers|Cabinet]] had granted 'in-principle' approval to the [[LIGO-India]] mega science proposal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-02-17 |title=Cabinet grants 'in-principle' approval to LIGO-India |url=https://www.ligo-india.in/cabinet-grants-in-principle-approval-to-ligo-india/ |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=LIGO-India }}</ref> The Indian gravitational-wave detector would be only the sixth such observatory in the world and will be similar to the two US detectors in Hanford, Washington and Livingston, Louisiana.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Padma |first=T. V. |date=2019-01-22 |title=India's LIGO gravitational-wave observatory gets green light |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00184-z |journal=Nature |language=en |doi=10.1038/d41586-019-00184-z|s2cid=128018821 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 31 March 2016 between the [[Department of Atomic Energy]] and Department of Science & Technology in India and the National Science Foundation of the US to develop the observatory in India.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-12-17 |title='Indian gravitational waves observatory will be best in the world' |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/indian-gravitational-waves-observatory-will-be-best-in-the-world/story-PV8Lc7VmK0VDgZQGtJ9kqL.html |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref>

As of July 2021, the project was expected to cost INR 1,200 Crores, and was contingent on 'full approval' by the Cabinet of the Government of India.<ref name="approval">{{cite news |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/five-years-on-ligo-india-awaits-cabinets-full-approval-7387209/ | title=Five years on, LIGO-India awaits cabinet's full approval | date=4 July 2021 }}</ref> In April 2023, full approval for the project was granted to build the advanced gravitational-wave detector in [[Maharashtra]], at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 Crores. The facility's construction is expected to be completed by 2030.<ref name="Bureau"/>

In a joint statement in June 2023, President [[Joe Biden]] and Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] "welcomed the commencement of construction of a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India."<ref>{{ Cite web |url = https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/22/joint-statement-from-the-united-states-and-india/ |title = Joint Statement from the United States and India |date = June 22, 2023 |access-date = 14 August 2023 |publisher = THE WHITE HOUSE }}</ref>

==Organization and membership==
The three lead institutions in the IndIGO consortium are: [[Institute of Plasma Research]] (IPR), [[Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics]] (IUCAA), and [[Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology]] (RRCAT).<ref name="Nature2015"/>

IndIGO has currently{{when|date=June 2023}} over 70 member scientists. Bala Iyer of the [[Raman Research Institute]] is the chairperson and Tarun Souradeep of the [[Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics]] is the Spokesperson. The international advisory committee is chaired by theoretical physicist [[Abhay Ashtekar]] and has members from several international as well as Indian research institutions. IndiGO is a member of the [[LIGO Scientific Collaboration]].

==See also==
*[[List of astronomical observatories]]
*[[Sanjeev Dhurandhar]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Gravitational waves}}
{{Telescopes and Observatories in India}}
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[[Category:Gravitational wave observatories]]
[[Category:Research institutes in India]]
[[Category:Astronomical observatories in India]]
[[Category:Proposed infrastructure in India]]
[[Category:Space programme of India]]
[[Category:Proposed infrastructure in Maharashtra]]