Plans Announced for Gravitational Wave Telescope

Scientists in Europe will unveil plans today for an ambitious new observatory to seek out gravitational waves — tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time — and potentially uncover secrets of the earliest moments of the universe.

After three years of study, designs for the proposed Einstein Telescope (ET) will be presented at the European Gravitational Observatory site in Pisa, Italy during their May 19 meeting. The multi-year design study involved more than 200 scientists in Europe and around the world, and the advanced observatory is pegged as a next-generation gravitational wave detector that will be 100 times more sensitive than existing instruments.

During today's unveiling, project scientists will outline the Einstein Telescope's scientific goals, as well as the detector's layout and technology, timescale and estimated costs. The current estimated price tag of the observatory is $1.42 billion (slightly less than 1 billion Euros).…

See SPACE.com for links to further info.

Also see physicsworld.com.