It is widely believed that the direct detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) detectors will win a Nobel prize either this year or the next.
So it was fitting that Breakthrough Science Society, Chennai, and the physics club of Loyola College, Chennai, decided to felicitate physicist K.G. Arun of the Chennai Mathematical Institute, who made important contributions to the theoretical analyses related to this discovery.
The felicitation was attended by members of the society and as well as students and faculty from all over the city.
At the felicitation Dr. Arun gave a lecture titled: “Listening to cosmic whispers: The dawn of gravitational wave astronomy.” It traced the evolution of astronomy and the fundamental aspects of gravitational waves before discussing the sources of such waves, the detectors and the process of detecting them, to the possibility of gravitational wave astronomy. Students from various colleges, who attended the lecture, were in for an audio treat, as they were let to hear the famous “chirp” sound of the wave detected in September last year and announced early this year.
“This is the best time to join physics research in India,” said Dr. Arun, referring to various projects that India was investing in, including the Astrosat, LIGO India, and the large Indian contingent that is part of the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN. He also recalled the work put in by 37 Indian scientists from nine institutes in India, who are part of the LIGO collaboration. While answering questions posed by the enthusiastic student group, he said there are limitations to locating the source in the present configuration of detectors and, once established, LIGO India would markedly improve the situation.
J. Venkatesan of IGCAR, Kalpakkam, also spoke at the event, tracing back physics throught the years.
