Scientists have appealed to the State government to support the India Neutrino Observatory.
The appeal drafted by G. Baskaran and T.R. Govindarajan, professors emeriti at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, have urged the people and political groups in the State to support the proposal for observatory that was initiated two decades ago.
Research in neutrino physics was cut short when the underground facility of Kolar Gold Fields was shut down.
Danger ruled out
The motivation was purely academic and not commercial. It was part of the Indian scientific community’s ongoing attempt at a deeper understanding of nature. The INO proposal would not pose any danger to environment nor would it have any effect on the water table or dams, the scientists said.
“It is a telescope built under a hill to detect billions of neutrinos that are passing through us continuously without any effect.
“It is similar to the optical telescopes we have at Kodaikanal, Kavalur and the radio telescope at Ooty. Neutrinos have negligible effect on plants, water, human beings and even earth and hence are harmless. As they are non-interacting they require special detectors. There is also no proposal to have neutrinos from distant reactors to be experimentally detected here,” the appeal read.
Supported by Nobel laureates, the observatory is a mega science research project to be undertaken by scientists from more than 25 Central and State universities and research institutes.
The research project would contribute significantly to the development of education and research infrastructure in Tamil Nadu, they pointed out.
“A successful INO experiment will be a major technological and scientific national achievement,” said N. Maheshchandra, executive secretary of the Indian Academy of Sciences.
