Lula could be the city that will host the Einstein Telescope, the project for the largest and most sensitive gravitational wave telescope ever built, already included among the large research infrastructures on which Europe has decided to focus in the near future.
"A great hope for Sardinia, which would conquer a role of absolute importance in the scientific world. We know we have the cards in place and we confidently await the results of the procedure - said the president of the Region Christian Solinas -. From the depths of the earth we will see the universe: thinking that ET laboratories could be set up in Sos Enattos in the near future has enormous significance for Sardinia and for Sardinians ".
In Rome, with the participation in video link of the councilor of the Budget Giuseppe Fasolino representing the Region, the point was made in the congress "Einstein Telescope: a great scientific and technological challenge for Italy", organized by the Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance, Eief, which once again confirmed the importance of hosting the third generation telescope in the heart of the disused mine of Sos Enattos, in Lula.
"The Region believes in it, which has already committed 3.5 million euros from the regional budget on the development of the laboratory, and the whole island, politics, the scientific world, the local communities believe in it - explained Fasolino - Beyond of great scientific and cultural value, the realization of Et in Nuorese would have a significant socio-economic impact for the territory. The new gravitational detector is a unique development opportunity of its kind, an engine of development, innovation and growth for Sardinia , Italy and the whole of Europe ".
The other candidate is the site located in the Limburg area, on the border between the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. An area that does not have physical and environmental characteristics comparable with Sardinia. “The apparatuses - says the Region - must in fact be built in regions with low seismic noise both of natural origin (seismic activity) and anthropic origin (human, industrial, production, transport). Not only that: the geology of the site must allow a stable construction of large caves, not very subject to the presence of underground water. These characteristics make Sardinia the optimal region for the realization of ET and the Lula site, in particular, is optimal. This is why the commitment made by the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research to host this new infrastructure in Sardinia is supported by prestigious research bodies and national universities ”.
Einstein Telescope "will have a great socio-economic impact on the region where it will be built, both in economic and employment terms, and in technological and industrial terms".
The selection of the ET site (or sites) will be submitted for a call in January 2022 while a decision on the future location will be taken by September 2024.
(Unioneonline / D)