Today's Headlines - 21 July 2023
Unlock mysteries of the cosmos
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)
The United States and India have jointly unveiled plans to construct a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India, a major scientific alliance aimed at unravelling the mysteries of the universe. The mega astronomy project, projected to cost Rs 2,600 crore, will study gravitational waves, which are often described as changes in the ‘fabric’ of the universe. The new observatory was among the US-India partnership initiatives.
More about the observatory
The LIGO observatory in India will be built in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, near the city of Aundha.
The government has acquired 174 acres of land to set up the observatory, which is expected to be operational by 2030.
This will be the third LIGO site in the world. The first two are both in the US, one in the state of Washington and the other in Louisiana.
Other similar instruments that detect gravitational waves include KAGRA in Japan and Virgo in Italy, both of which are smaller than LIGO and have 3-km arms.
The LIGO-India project is a joint collaboration between the Government of India’s departments of atomic energy (DAE) and science and technology (DST), the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States, and several other national and international research and academic institutions.
In India, the four institutions leading the project include IUCAA, Gandhinagar’s Institute of Plasma Research (IPR), Indore’s Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), and the Directorate of Construction, Services & Estate Management (DCSEM) under the DAE.
Why are gravitational waves important?
Gravitational waves are invisible ripples in spacetime that travel at the speed of light. They were first detected in September 2015 by both the LIGO observatories in the US. Before that, most inferences about the universe were based on observations of electromagnetic energy.
The study of gravitational waves dates back to 1916, when Albert Einstein proposed their existence in his theory of general relativity.
He suggested that massive objects in the sky, such as black holes or neutron stars, can disrupt space-time due to the emission of waves that would be ejected from the source.
Studying gravitational waves can help uncover the history of the universe and understand many more complex mechanisms.
For example, earlier this year, Indian scientists proposed that gravitational waves emitted from black holes could help determine the rate of expansion of the universe.
They suggested that the multiple gravitational waves released from binary black holes reach Earth at various time stamps, which can be used to calculate the expansion rate of the universe.
How does LIGO work?
LIGO is essentially a massive L-shaped instrument, with each arm being 4 km long. Each arm encases a steel vacuum tube called an interferometer.
Laser pulses are shot through each arm and bounced back off a mirror at each end. A detector monitors the timing and movement of these pulses.
When a gravitational wave passes through the detector, the pulses will not return on time. Scientists can use this and other such signals to study gravitational waves. LIGO is highly sensitive and can detect gravitational waves from distant galaxies, hundreds of millions of light years away.
For instance, the first gravitational wave observed by LIGO in 2015, according to the estimates of scientists, was caused by the collision of two black holes about 1.3 billion years ago.
#upsc #news #mysteries #cosmos #Spacetechnology #Laser #Interferometer #Gravitational #Observatory #LIGO #astronomy #Louisiana #NSF #KAGRA #Japan #IUCAA #IPR #DAE #DST #RRCAT #DCSEM #electromagneticenergy #galaxies
Unlock mysteries of the cosmos
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)
The United States and India have jointly unveiled plans to construct a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India, a major scientific alliance aimed at unravelling the mysteries of the universe. The mega astronomy project, projected to cost Rs 2,600 crore, will study gravitational waves, which are often described as changes in the ‘fabric’ of the universe. The new observatory was among the US-India partnership initiatives.
More about the observatory
The LIGO observatory in India will be built in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, near the city of Aundha.
The government has acquired 174 acres of land to set up the observatory, which is expected to be operational by 2030.
This will be the third LIGO site in the world. The first two are both in the US, one in the state of Washington and the other in Louisiana.
Other similar instruments that detect gravitational waves include KAGRA in Japan and Virgo in Italy, both of which are smaller than LIGO and have 3-km arms.
The LIGO-India project is a joint collaboration between the Government of India’s departments of atomic energy (DAE) and science and technology (DST), the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States, and several other national and international research and academic institutions.
In India, the four institutions leading the project include IUCAA, Gandhinagar’s Institute of Plasma Research (IPR), Indore’s Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), and the Directorate of Construction, Services & Estate Management (DCSEM) under the DAE.
Why are gravitational waves important?
Gravitational waves are invisible ripples in spacetime that travel at the speed of light. They were first detected in September 2015 by both the LIGO observatories in the US. Before that, most inferences about the universe were based on observations of electromagnetic energy.
The study of gravitational waves dates back to 1916, when Albert Einstein proposed their existence in his theory of general relativity.
He suggested that massive objects in the sky, such as black holes or neutron stars, can disrupt space-time due to the emission of waves that would be ejected from the source.
Studying gravitational waves can help uncover the history of the universe and understand many more complex mechanisms.
For example, earlier this year, Indian scientists proposed that gravitational waves emitted from black holes could help determine the rate of expansion of the universe.
They suggested that the multiple gravitational waves released from binary black holes reach Earth at various time stamps, which can be used to calculate the expansion rate of the universe.
How does LIGO work?
LIGO is essentially a massive L-shaped instrument, with each arm being 4 km long. Each arm encases a steel vacuum tube called an interferometer.
Laser pulses are shot through each arm and bounced back off a mirror at each end. A detector monitors the timing and movement of these pulses.
When a gravitational wave passes through the detector, the pulses will not return on time. Scientists can use this and other such signals to study gravitational waves. LIGO is highly sensitive and can detect gravitational waves from distant galaxies, hundreds of millions of light years away.
For instance, the first gravitational wave observed by LIGO in 2015, according to the estimates of scientists, was caused by the collision of two black holes about 1.3 billion years ago.
#upsc #news #mysteries #cosmos #Spacetechnology #Laser #Interferometer #Gravitational #Observatory #LIGO #astronomy #Louisiana #NSF #KAGRA #Japan #IUCAA #IPR #DAE #DST #RRCAT #DCSEM #electromagneticenergy #galaxies
Today's Headlines - 03 September 2023
Largest indigenously developed N-plant starts ops
GS Paper - 3 (Energy)
The third unit of the indigenously developed 700-megawatt electric (MWe) nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP3) in Gujarat has commenced operations at full capacity. This comes a little over three years since the unit achieved its ‘first criticality’ – a technical term that signifies the initiation of a controlled, but sustained nuclear fission reaction – in July 2020. On 30 June this year, the unit had started commercial operations.
More about the News
In India’s civilian nuclear programme, this is seen as a landmark event, given that KAPP-3 is the country’s first 700 MWe unit and the biggest indigenously developed variant of the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR).
The PHWRs, which use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator, constitute the mainstay of India’s nuclear power fleet.
Till now, the biggest reactor of indigenous design was the 540 MWe PHWR, two of which have been deployed in Tarapur, Maharashtra.
For India, the operationalisation of its first 700MWe reactor is a significant scale up in technology, both in terms of the optimisation of its PHWR design — the new 700MWe unit addresses the excess thermal margins and also marks an improvement in the economies-of-scale, without significant design changes to the 540 MWe reactor.
Flashback
As India works to ramp up its existing nuclear power capacity of 7,480 MWe to 22,480 MWe by 2031, the 700MWe capacity would constitute the biggest component of this expansion plan. Currently, nuclear power capacity constitutes around 2 per cent of the total installed capacity of 4,17,668 MW (May 31).
Significantly, as India’s civilian nuclear sector gears up to its next frontier — building a 900 MWe Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) of indigenous design – the experience of executing the larger 700MWe reactor design would come in handy, especially with respect to the improved capability of making large-size pressure vessels, alongside India’s own isotope enrichment plants being developed to supply a part of the required enriched uranium fuel to power these new generation reactors over the next decade or so, according to DAE officials.
The first ‘pour of concrete’ for laying the foundation of KAPP-3 happened in November 2010 and this unit was originally expected to be commissioned in 2015.
#upsc #news #headline #largest #indigenously #devloped #Nplant #energy #megawatt #kakrapar #atomic #powerproject #gujarat #firstcriticality #india #civilian #nuclear #programme #heavywater #PHWR #tarapur #capacity #pour #concrete #DAE #uranium #fuel #maharashtra #moderator #fission #first #initiation #thirdunit #electric #landmark #pressurised #thermal #margins #economies #november
Largest indigenously developed N-plant starts ops
GS Paper - 3 (Energy)
The third unit of the indigenously developed 700-megawatt electric (MWe) nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP3) in Gujarat has commenced operations at full capacity. This comes a little over three years since the unit achieved its ‘first criticality’ – a technical term that signifies the initiation of a controlled, but sustained nuclear fission reaction – in July 2020. On 30 June this year, the unit had started commercial operations.
More about the News
In India’s civilian nuclear programme, this is seen as a landmark event, given that KAPP-3 is the country’s first 700 MWe unit and the biggest indigenously developed variant of the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR).
The PHWRs, which use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator, constitute the mainstay of India’s nuclear power fleet.
Till now, the biggest reactor of indigenous design was the 540 MWe PHWR, two of which have been deployed in Tarapur, Maharashtra.
For India, the operationalisation of its first 700MWe reactor is a significant scale up in technology, both in terms of the optimisation of its PHWR design — the new 700MWe unit addresses the excess thermal margins and also marks an improvement in the economies-of-scale, without significant design changes to the 540 MWe reactor.
Flashback
As India works to ramp up its existing nuclear power capacity of 7,480 MWe to 22,480 MWe by 2031, the 700MWe capacity would constitute the biggest component of this expansion plan. Currently, nuclear power capacity constitutes around 2 per cent of the total installed capacity of 4,17,668 MW (May 31).
Significantly, as India’s civilian nuclear sector gears up to its next frontier — building a 900 MWe Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) of indigenous design – the experience of executing the larger 700MWe reactor design would come in handy, especially with respect to the improved capability of making large-size pressure vessels, alongside India’s own isotope enrichment plants being developed to supply a part of the required enriched uranium fuel to power these new generation reactors over the next decade or so, according to DAE officials.
The first ‘pour of concrete’ for laying the foundation of KAPP-3 happened in November 2010 and this unit was originally expected to be commissioned in 2015.
#upsc #news #headline #largest #indigenously #devloped #Nplant #energy #megawatt #kakrapar #atomic #powerproject #gujarat #firstcriticality #india #civilian #nuclear #programme #heavywater #PHWR #tarapur #capacity #pour #concrete #DAE #uranium #fuel #maharashtra #moderator #fission #first #initiation #thirdunit #electric #landmark #pressurised #thermal #margins #economies #november