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Hub AI
Einstein Telescope AI simulator
(@Einstein Telescope_simulator)
Hub AI
Einstein Telescope AI simulator
(@Einstein Telescope_simulator)
Einstein Telescope
Einstein Telescope (ET), is a proposed third-generation ground-based gravitational wave (GW) detector, currently under study by some institutions in the European Union. It will be able to test Einstein's general theory of relativity in strong field conditions, realize precision gravitational wave astronomy and enable multi-messenger astronomy.
The initial design study project was supported by the European Commission under the Framework Programme 7 (FP7). It concerned the study and the conceptual design for a new research infrastructure in the emergent field of gravitational-wave astronomy. The ET Project was accepted onto the roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures in 2021. In 2022, the ET Collaboration was founded as the organization of scientists working on the realization and future operation of the ET. In 2025, support for ET was expressed on the national levels: the governments of Netherlands and Belgium set ET as one of the national priorities; the German government placed ET on a shortlist for large scientific infrastructures and highlighted as a top European scientific project in a coalition agreement; the regional Italian governement set ET as one of the top priorities, following previously expressed commitment by the national government. It is expected that in 2026 the site location will be announced, with construction starting in 2028 and the detector launch in 2035.
Second generation gravitational-wave detectors, Advanced Virgo, Advanced LIGO and KAGRA, are approaching their design sensitivity, with the final set of updates completed by the fifth observational run in 2028. Future possible upgrades would reach the facility limits, imposed by the external factors, such as the achievable arm length and local seismology. Many science cases require significant sensitivity increase towards low frequencies, where current detectors are fundamentally limited by seismic noise.
The strategy for the third generation gravitational-wave detectors, which includes Einstein Telescope and proposed Cosmic Explorer in the US, is to significantly increase the arm length and laser power in the arms. Einstein Telescope further aims to increase the sensitivity towards signals at a few Hz by going deep underground and suppressing thermal noise of its mirrors and suspensions with cryogenic operation.
The main science case for the Einstein Telescope includes, among others:
The goal of the detector design is to achieve high sensitivity (~ factor of 10 compared to the existing detectors) in a frequency band from a few Hz to >2 kHz. The main limitations to the sensitivity of the detector are:
Increasing the light power circulating in the arms increases the sensitivity of a detector. However, due to the light absorption in the material, high laser power is not compatible with cryogenic operation. Therefore, ET features a so-called xylophone configuration, where two co-located interferometers target two different frequency bands: low frequency (LF) between ~2 Hz and 30 Hz and high frequency (HF) between 30 Hz and 2kHz:
Generally, using long arms allows to increase the detector sensitivity. There are two alternative designs that feature 10km (triangle configuration) and 15km (2-L configuration).
Einstein Telescope
Einstein Telescope (ET), is a proposed third-generation ground-based gravitational wave (GW) detector, currently under study by some institutions in the European Union. It will be able to test Einstein's general theory of relativity in strong field conditions, realize precision gravitational wave astronomy and enable multi-messenger astronomy.
The initial design study project was supported by the European Commission under the Framework Programme 7 (FP7). It concerned the study and the conceptual design for a new research infrastructure in the emergent field of gravitational-wave astronomy. The ET Project was accepted onto the roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures in 2021. In 2022, the ET Collaboration was founded as the organization of scientists working on the realization and future operation of the ET. In 2025, support for ET was expressed on the national levels: the governments of Netherlands and Belgium set ET as one of the national priorities; the German government placed ET on a shortlist for large scientific infrastructures and highlighted as a top European scientific project in a coalition agreement; the regional Italian governement set ET as one of the top priorities, following previously expressed commitment by the national government. It is expected that in 2026 the site location will be announced, with construction starting in 2028 and the detector launch in 2035.
Second generation gravitational-wave detectors, Advanced Virgo, Advanced LIGO and KAGRA, are approaching their design sensitivity, with the final set of updates completed by the fifth observational run in 2028. Future possible upgrades would reach the facility limits, imposed by the external factors, such as the achievable arm length and local seismology. Many science cases require significant sensitivity increase towards low frequencies, where current detectors are fundamentally limited by seismic noise.
The strategy for the third generation gravitational-wave detectors, which includes Einstein Telescope and proposed Cosmic Explorer in the US, is to significantly increase the arm length and laser power in the arms. Einstein Telescope further aims to increase the sensitivity towards signals at a few Hz by going deep underground and suppressing thermal noise of its mirrors and suspensions with cryogenic operation.
The main science case for the Einstein Telescope includes, among others:
The goal of the detector design is to achieve high sensitivity (~ factor of 10 compared to the existing detectors) in a frequency band from a few Hz to >2 kHz. The main limitations to the sensitivity of the detector are:
Increasing the light power circulating in the arms increases the sensitivity of a detector. However, due to the light absorption in the material, high laser power is not compatible with cryogenic operation. Therefore, ET features a so-called xylophone configuration, where two co-located interferometers target two different frequency bands: low frequency (LF) between ~2 Hz and 30 Hz and high frequency (HF) between 30 Hz and 2kHz:
Generally, using long arms allows to increase the detector sensitivity. There are two alternative designs that feature 10km (triangle configuration) and 15km (2-L configuration).