Einstein Telescope

The Einstein Telescope (ET) is the third-generation interferometric gravitational wave (GW) observatory proposed by leading European gravitational wave experimental research institutes coordinated by the European Gravitational Observatory. In order to reduce seismic noise and gravity gradient noise it will be located underground. Its arms are planned to be 10 km long arranged in an equilateral triangle with two detectors in each corner. Detectors at each corner would be composed of two interferometers: one optimised for frequencies below 30 Hz and one optimised for operation at higher frequencies. Sensitivity of the ET would be an order of magnitude better than LIGO/Virgo detectors, meaning that it would be able to probe three orders of magnitude greater volume of the Universe leading to an unprecedented statistics of GW sources originating at high redshifts.  It will elevate gravitational wave physics from weekly or monthly detections to a high-statistics era allowing high-precision astronomy and confronting the General Theory of Relativity with a plethora of experimental tests.

In the department we are studying science cases for the ET focused on prospects for precision cosmology, detections of  gravitationally lensed GW signals and testing gravity theories beyond General Relativity.