Special Colloquium

Generating ultrahigh vacuum in large volume – the LIGO experience

Speaker: Professor Subroto Mukherjee (Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar)

Date and time
Venue
RRI Auditorium

Abstract

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has currently two observatories at Hanford and Livingstone in USA for detection of gravitational waves. The observatory comprises of two arms of each having a length of 4 kms maintained at ultrahigh vacuum, with pressures below 1.0 x 10-9 mbar. A similar observatory is being built in Aundha, Near Hingoli, Maharashtra. The institutes involved in this activity are DCSEM, IPR, IUCAA and RRCAT. The talk will cover the vacuum requirements of LIGO, how it is generated and maintained. Development of 1:1 size prototypes is currently underway at IPR. The experience gained during the development phase will be discussed in brief. 

poster

Short Biography
Prof Subroto Mukherjee is a Senior Professor at Institute for Plasma Research (IPR). He is currently Head – LIGO Division, and Dean (Administration) of IPR. Earlier he was the Head of FCIPT Division for 12 years. He was the former Dean-Academic of IPR for 8 years when he started at IPR various academic programs such as “PhD in Engg”, “MTech in Fusion Science & Technology” and “MSc-Engg”. Prof Mukherjee has 165 peer-reviewed journal papers in various topics of plasma science & technology, 15 patents, guided 16 PhD scholars with 1 more pursing and has developed and transferred many plasma based technologies for societal benefit.
He is the 1st recipient of “BUTI Foundation Award” for outstanding contribution in plasma sciences in 2008, and is a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation fellowship in 2001. He received the VASVIK-2016 award in the field of “Materials Engg” and was elected Fellow of the Gujarat Science Academy (FGSA) in 2016. In 2018, he was elected Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (FNAE).