- The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) of India is part of an international collaboration including six big telescopes.
- Through pulsar observations, the telescopes produced evidence supporting the occurrence of gravitational waves.
GMRT (Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope)
- The GMRT is a collection of thirty completely steerable parabolic radio telescopes in India, near Narayangaon.
- It is widely regarded as the world’s largest and most sensitive low-frequency radio telescope array.
- The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), a division of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, runs it.
- Since its construction between 1984 and 1996 under the direction of Late Prof. Govind Swarup, it has made major contributions to the study of astronomy.
- The GMRT’s recent upgrade has increased its capabilities, earning it the moniker “upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope” (uGMRT).
Location and Specifications
- The GMRT Observatory is located roughly 80 kilometres north of Pune, near Khodad, with the town of Narayangaon only 9 kilometres away. The NCRA office is on the campus of Savitribai Phule Pune University.
- The GMRT is made up of thirty completely steerable parabolic radio telescopes, each with a diameter of 45 metres.
- The telescopes are arranged in an interferometric array with baselines of up to 25 kilometres, allowing for precise and detailed observations.
Observations and Science
- Galaxy Formation and 21-cm Line Radiation: The GMRT was designed to look for extremely redshifted 21-cm line radiation from primordial neutral hydrogen clouds, allowing the epoch of galaxy formation in the universe to be determined.
- Diverse Astronomical Goals: The GMRT is used by astronomers all around the world to study a wide range of astronomical phenomena, including HII regions, galaxies, pulsars, and supernovae, as well as the Sun and solar winds.
Amazing Discoveries
- The GMRT detected the most distant known galaxy, about 12 billion light-years away, in August 2018.
- The GMRT performed a critical part in observing the greatest explosion ever recorded in the universe, the Ophiuchus Supercluster explosion, in February 2020.
- The GMRT detected a radio signal from 8.8 billion light-years away in January 2023, especially a fast radio burst (FRB) known as FRB 2023L.
Recent Discoveries
- Time Aberrations: The researchers discovered time aberrations in pulsar signals, indicating the presence of gravitational waves.
- Galactic-Scale Gravitational Wave Detector: To develop a virtual detector sensitive to gravitational wave transmissions, scientists scattered ultra-stable pulsar clocks across the Milky Way.
- Arrival Time Variations: The presence of gravity waves influenced the arrival times of signals from pulsars, producing tiny delays or advances.
The Importance of the Findings
- Humming Signals: Nano-hertz signals created by gravity waves were found, allowing their presence in the universe to be identified.
- Introducing a New Window: The team’s findings mark an important step forward in the investigation of the gravitational wave spectrum, bringing fresh insights into astrophysics.
- Sensitivity and Timeframe: Due to their sluggish fluctuations, these elusive nano-hertz gravity waves necessitate sensitive telescopes such as GMRT and long-term observations.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/indias-largest-radio-telescope-plays-vital-role-in-detecting-universes-vibrations/article67024093.ece#:~:text=India's%20Giant%20Metrewave%20Radio%20Telescope,observations%2C%20said%20scientists%20on%20Thursday.