India on Wednesday (Oct 9) inaugurated Asia’s largest imaging Cherenkov telescope at Ladakh’s Hanle. Perched at an altitude of just about 4,300 metres, the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) observatory can be the world’s highest telescope of its form.
The telescope was constructed indigenously by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in collaboration with the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and different Indian trade companions.
Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary DAE & chairperson of the Atomic Energy Commission, inaugurated the observatory. He harassed how the MACE mission can contribute to scientific research and the socio-economic improvement of Ladakh.
Why is MACE particular?
MACE is touted to propel India to the forefront of cosmic ray research globally by permitting scientists to check high-energy gamma rays. These observations will allow deeper insights into a number of the universe’s most energetic phenomena, together with supernovae, black holes, and gamma-ray bursts.
Interesting details concerning the MACE observatory
The telescope has a 21-metre diameter, weighs 175 tonnes, and its reflector floor spans 356 sq. metres. It consists of 1,424 diamond-turned metallic mirror aspects that may be aligned with a precision of two mm throughout the parabolic floor, 712 actuators, 1,088 photomultiplier tubes, and 68 digicam modules.
MACE’s light-weight building gives excessive energy and temperature endurance, whereas its ultra-fast backend electronics, that includes nanosecond digitisation, are optimised for low-power and cold-temperature operations.
The design permits MACE to seize gamma-ray flares, with early work detecting flares from sources as much as 200 million light-years away.
How MACE works
Gamma rays don’t attain Earth’s floor as a result of the environment absorbs them. However, they create high-energy particles that emit Cherenkov radiation, just like a sonic growth, as they journey quicker than mild via the environment. MACE’s mirrors and cameras seize this radiation, which is then traced again to its cosmic supply.
Why Hanle?
Hanle, resulting from its extraordinarily low mild air pollution, presents preferrred situations for gamma-ray observations. Its distinctive longitudinal place additionally permits MACE to watch cosmic sources invisible from different places globally.
(With inputs from companies)