BENGALURU: Raman Analysis Institute (RRI) is ready to embark on India’s inaugural winter expedition to the Arctic, marking a major milestone within the nation’s scientific exploration.
The expedition, spearheaded by the Nationwide Centre for Polar and Ocean Analysis (NCPOR), Goa, will witness RRI researchers delve into uncharted territories, specializing in characterising the radio frequency atmosphere within the Svalbard area of the Arctic.
This pioneering survey goals to guage the area’s viability for precision astronomy measurements, encompassing areas equivalent to astronomy, local weather change, and atmospheric science.
Girish BS, from the Electronics Engineering Group at RRI, has been designated because the chief of the crew, which can conduct a complete survey of the radio frequency atmosphere at Svalbard, probably opening avenues for deploying low-frequency radio telescopes. This marks a historic second as such characterisation has by no means been undertaken on this area earlier than.
The crew’s month-long scientific expedition, funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), is scheduled from December 19, 2023, to January 15, 2024. The mission aligns with India’s continued presence within the Arctic for the reason that institution of the Himadri analysis station in 2008.
Engineers and scientists at RRI have been on the forefront of growing the SARAS (Formed Antenna measurement of the background RAdio Spectrum) collection of experiments. SARAS focuses on learning the faint cosmological sign from hydrogen, generally known as the 21-cm sign, throughout the Cosmic Daybreak and the Epoch of Reionization.
Girish BS highlighted the challenges confronted in learning these cosmic phases resulting from urbanisation and interference from radio frequency sources. The upcoming Arctic survey is anticipated to supply insights into the radio quietness of the placement, essential for deploying SARAS radio telescopes.
“SARAS has produced vital scientific outcomes prior to now from observations carried out in India, together with distant areas of Ladakh and backwaters in Western Karnataka. One of many key causes for its success has been the entry to those radio-quiet areas. The Arctic survey will inform us concerning the radio quietness of the placement for deploying the SARAS radio telescope in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard,” Saurabh Singh, affiliate professor, RRI and principal investigator of the experiment, mentioned.
RRI director Professor Tarun Souradeep mentioned: “Over 75 years, RRI has served the nation in prescient presence at key international frontiers of science of the time. Delighted that colleagues enthusiastically responded to the decision for the primary winter Indian expedition to the Arctic to discover the potential for deploying the home-built SARAS radio telescope, that’s globally recognised to be among the many most delicate experiments searching for to detect a really refined sign of cosmic daybreak when first galaxies lit up within the universe.”
The expedition, spearheaded by the Nationwide Centre for Polar and Ocean Analysis (NCPOR), Goa, will witness RRI researchers delve into uncharted territories, specializing in characterising the radio frequency atmosphere within the Svalbard area of the Arctic.
This pioneering survey goals to guage the area’s viability for precision astronomy measurements, encompassing areas equivalent to astronomy, local weather change, and atmospheric science.
Girish BS, from the Electronics Engineering Group at RRI, has been designated because the chief of the crew, which can conduct a complete survey of the radio frequency atmosphere at Svalbard, probably opening avenues for deploying low-frequency radio telescopes. This marks a historic second as such characterisation has by no means been undertaken on this area earlier than.
The crew’s month-long scientific expedition, funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), is scheduled from December 19, 2023, to January 15, 2024. The mission aligns with India’s continued presence within the Arctic for the reason that institution of the Himadri analysis station in 2008.
Engineers and scientists at RRI have been on the forefront of growing the SARAS (Formed Antenna measurement of the background RAdio Spectrum) collection of experiments. SARAS focuses on learning the faint cosmological sign from hydrogen, generally known as the 21-cm sign, throughout the Cosmic Daybreak and the Epoch of Reionization.
Girish BS highlighted the challenges confronted in learning these cosmic phases resulting from urbanisation and interference from radio frequency sources. The upcoming Arctic survey is anticipated to supply insights into the radio quietness of the placement, essential for deploying SARAS radio telescopes.
“SARAS has produced vital scientific outcomes prior to now from observations carried out in India, together with distant areas of Ladakh and backwaters in Western Karnataka. One of many key causes for its success has been the entry to those radio-quiet areas. The Arctic survey will inform us concerning the radio quietness of the placement for deploying the SARAS radio telescope in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard,” Saurabh Singh, affiliate professor, RRI and principal investigator of the experiment, mentioned.
RRI director Professor Tarun Souradeep mentioned: “Over 75 years, RRI has served the nation in prescient presence at key international frontiers of science of the time. Delighted that colleagues enthusiastically responded to the decision for the primary winter Indian expedition to the Arctic to discover the potential for deploying the home-built SARAS radio telescope, that’s globally recognised to be among the many most delicate experiments searching for to detect a really refined sign of cosmic daybreak when first galaxies lit up within the universe.”
