February 11 this year proved to be the momentous day for the scientists dedicated to unraveling the mysteries in our universe. Gravitational-Wave (GW), first predicted by Einstein a century ago, was first detected by the LIGO in the US on that day. The LIGO- Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, in essence, comprises of two GW detectors placed nearly 3000 km apart, one in Washington State and the other in Louisiana State in the US.

In order to make sure what they get is indeed GW, scientists look for the same data in both detectors. That is why LIGO consists of two identical facilities. GW is the ripple in the fabric of space and time travelling near the speed of light. It is not like light wave travelling across universe, it is like the universe (which can be imagined to be big flat rubber sheet) itself shuddering, as it were.

The Feb 11 detection of GW was due to two black holes spiraling into a collision some 1.3 billion light years away. When two massive bodies like black holes move around each other with high speed, they send out GW. By the time GW reaches our earth, its effect gets too weak. LIGO is the most sensitive instrument till date.

What boggles my mind about LIGO is the fact that it perceives the length change as tiny as 1/1000th of the diameter of the nucleus of an atom. It consists of two tunnel arms, each 4km long and placed perpendicular to each other giving it “L” shape altogether. The end points of the arms contain two giant mirrors which reflect laser beams back to where it was released from. GW nudges the equipment at LIGO and one arm squeezes while the other stretches. Here, laser beams act as “measuring scales” for the length change. LIGO is an engineering and physics feat.

It’s a pity that our government is so apathetic about the development of science and technology in the country. It claims to be introducing series of changes in education system to make it on a par with western countries, but in reality all it is doing is churning out hundreds of thousands of graduates every year who hardly had hands-on experience of the scientific things they learned in their alma mater. School education plays a important role when it comes to whetting a kid’s appetite for higher studies in a particular discipline. Who knows how many potential Einstein, Galileo and such we happen to nip in their bud’s stage because of frustratingly linear and prescriptive education system!