The Indian LIGO detector will close blind spots for gravity observations in the sky and generally improve the accuracy of localization of events in the universe by an international network of detectors.

What is known about LIGO-India

• The Indian government will allocate approximately $320 million for the project.
• Construction is planned near the city of Aundha in Maharashtra state.
• There will be a complex of buildings, including an L-shaped interferometer with 4km arms.
• Building projects have been completed, roads to the facility have been built, some equipment – vacuum chambers – has been tested in the lab.
• Since the LIGO-India project will be a carbon copy of the LIGO-USA project, the parties have probably agreed on the transfer of technologies and project documentation.
• India should follow the proven recommendations and replicate the project already implemented.

Computer image of the future LIGO-India complex / Photo LIGO-India

LIGO’s interferometer can distinguish the phase difference in two reference laser beams, which will show the distortion of space-time. This means that a gravitational wave passes through the detector, changing the length of the laser beam. The higher the accuracy of the observations, the more precisely it is possible to determine in which part of the sky the gravitational event is occurring. It could be a merger of massive black holes or neutron stars. Correct positioning of the event will make it possible to direct other telescopes – optical, X-ray and radio – there and make sure with your own eyes that exactly what the detectors recorded is there.

The LIGO-India detector will increase the accuracy of the localization of gravity events by an order of magnitude simply because of its geographic location. It will complement the existing network of gravity detectors from two American LIGO facilities, Virgo from Italy and KAGRA from Japan. The first measurements on the LIGO-India detector are expected by 2030.