Frontiers of Gravitational Wave Research: the Italian expertise for the Einstein Telescope

Listening to the music of space-time.

Gravitational waves (GWs) are infinitesimal vibrations of spacetime, produced by large masses in accelerated motion on a spectacularly large scale, involving extreme astrophysical events (for example, black holes or neutron stars coalescences).

These ripples, firstly predicted by Albert Einstein over a century ago, can be revealed through subtle measurements of optical interferometry.

Due to the faintness of GWs, detectors aiming at their detection need a super-quiet environment, such as, in the most recent designs, multiple subterranean tunnels dug in a seismically inert area.

Pioneering detectors such as LIGO and VIRGO have first revealed GWs just a few years ago, and the discovery has even been awarded the Nobel prize in 2017. The new observatories being currently planned, among which the Einstein Telescope, an initiative in Europe, are expected to provide much higher accuracy and unprecedented insights on events involving massive objects, opening a new window to understand the history of our universe.

Italy is at the forefront of research in this field, and this event, involving scientists as well as high-level science managers, will shed light on scientific and design aspects of new instrumentation and sites, and the science that can be done with them, giving an overview of the current discussions about site choice, shape and size of the detector, and the astrophysical events that are expected to be revealed.

Program (starts at 6 PM on Nov.9):

– Antonio Zoccoli (President of INFN): Title TBA
– Marco Tavani (President of INAF): Title TBA
– Alessandro Nagar (INFN): Scientific case – general relativity and fundamental physics
– Michela Mapelli (U Heidelberg, Gran Sasso Sci.Inst.): Scientific case – cosmology and astrophysics
– Michele Punturo (INFN, spokesman ET collab.): The design of the Einstein Telescope
– Mauro Morandin (INFN): ITA-GER industrial collaborations
– Alessandro Cardini (INFN): The Sardinian site