Recently three new consortia added
Three new consortia are receiving financial support from the R&D scheme for the Einstein Telescope, as will three consortia already launched earlier in 2024. The R&D scheme is part of the Einstein Telescope valorisation programme for high-tech companies, a programme of the Dutch National Growth Fund. The scheme is implemented by the regional development companies (ROMs) led by LIOF. The purpose of the R&D scheme is to stimulate innovation and accelerate development of new technologies for the Einstein Telescope. To this end, the six consortia will collectively receive a grant of over €12 million. Combined with company contributions, the total project value is €14 million.

The investments strengthen the candidacy for the arrival of the Einstein Telescope and increase the future earning capacity of the Netherlands”, 

says Jorg van der Meij, program manager valorization Einstein Telescope of the Limburg regional development company LIOF.

Science and industry need each other's knowledge and expertise to design and build the groundbreaking technology needed for the Einstein Telescope. Innovations that can also be marketed in other applications. This makes the Einstein Telescope a wonderful opportunity for society as a driver of innovation and prosperity. Companies are therefore full of enthusiasm to think and participate in this project.”

Minister Bruins of Education, Culture and Science is the responsible minister for the plans for the Einstein Telescope and this subsidy scheme. Bruins:

The fact that 26 Dutch high-tech companies and knowledge institutes are getting to work developing the technology needed for the Einstein Telescope is a big win”. "It involves completely new knowledge and technology, beyond the limits of what is currently possible. We not only need that to be able to build the Einstein Telescope, but it is also going to give us technology and innovations that we will see back in our daily lives."

Einstein Telescope, a new window on the universe
The Einstein Telescope will be Europe's most advanced observatory for gravitational waves, more than 10 times more sensitive than existing observatories for gravitational waves. A large group of European research institutes, companies and governments are working together on this ambitious project. The Dutch consortia are jumping in with part of the required technology. Read more about the 3 recently formed consortia for Optics, Thermal Deformations and Vacuum Technology below.

Optics Consortium
The heart of the Einstein Telescope is a series of precise mirrors made of silicon, 45 cm in diameter and weighing about 200 kg. These mirrors must be extremely smooth, reflect 99.999% of the laser light and operate at cryogenic temperatures between 10 to 20 °C above absolute zero. Einstein Telescope's predecessor LIGO uses smaller and lighter fused silica mirrors, operating at room temperature.

The silicon of the Einstein Telescope mirrors can handle cryogenic temperatures, but globally there is still little experience with mirrors made of this material for such an application,"

says R&D manager Boris Landgraf of consortium lead Cosine innovations. The consortium partners will test different techniques to superpolish the silicon, develop improved metrology for locating surface defects, and will test a method to combine smaller mirror elements into a larger whole. The techniques are Dutch specialties and also have applications in astronomy and the semiconductor industry.

The consortium consists of Cosine innovations, SRON, VSL, Universiteit Maastricht, NOVA and TNO.

Thermal Deformations Consortium
Getting the laser beams in the Einstein Telescope crystal clear requires optical support systems with hundreds of mirrors. During operation these can deform slightly due to small temperature differences. Such thermal deformation also deforms the laser beam and makes the Einstein Telescope less accurate. The Thermal Deformations consortium is developing a system that measures and corrects such effects.

These are minute deviations, but for the precision we want to achieve with the Einstein Telescope, every picometer (millionth of a micrometer) is one too many,"

says program manager Wouter Jonker of consortium lead TNO. One possible solution is adding a mirror with deformable elements that counteracts unwanted deformations.

In addition to the deformable mirror, the partners are also developing machine learning to deduce which of the hundreds of mirrors have deformed, and actuators for the correction mirror that produce very little heat themselves. Jonker:

“This is quite a challenge, but one with potential for spin-offs. Think of telescopes to see planets around other stars, or laser communication that can reach through our turbulent atmosphere.”

The consortium consists of TNO, Sioux Technologies, ATG Europe, Hoursec, NOVA, Nikhef and DEMCON.

Vacuum Technology Consortium
The Einstein Telescope's vacuum pipes total 120 kilometers in length, ensuring that air and dust do not interfere with the sensitive measurements. The metal of the vacuum tubes themselves can also introduce contaminants into the vacuum, such as dust particles or water vapor. The Vacuum Technology consortium develops and qualifies procedures to produce pipe elements cleanly and on a large scale. The work builds on R&D by the European particle lab CERN.

Vacuum specialist Peter van der Heijden (VDL ETG):

All process steps can cause contamination, from rolling, bending, sealing and transport, to underground welding. We want to develop procedures for all those steps that guarantee the installation will be delivered at the high cleanroom level ISO-6 and an ultrahigh vacuum of 5 x10-11 mbar.”

Consortium partner TNO, for example, is testing a plasma technique to remove unwanted water vapor from the metal surface using hot, charged gas. This takes less energy than the traditional technique of heating the entire pipe.

A vacuum system of this size is unique in the world; it is a wonderful opportunity to be able to contribute to its development",

says general director Dorus van Leeuwen (VDL KTI). The accumulated expertise also has applications in the ever larger and cleaner vacuum installations of the semiconductor industry.

The consortium consists of: TNO, VDL ETG Technology & Development, VDL KTI, Settels Savenije Group of Companies, SBE and Nikhef.

Netherlands, along with Belgium and Germany, in race for Einstein Telescope
The underground Einstein Telescope will be Europe's most advanced observatory for gravitational waves. It will allow researchers to hear black holes collide and gain knowledge about the early universe. Several countries in Europe are working on a proposal to build the Einstein Telescope. Governments in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are in the race; the border region of these three countries is an ideal location because of its tranquility, stable soil and strong ecosystem of knowledge institutions and high-tech companies. The most suitable location and where this top facility will be built will be known in 2026/ 2027.

A telescope of this size is not only a boost for science, but also attracts scientists from all over the world. Based on research, every euro for the Einstein Telescope is expected to be recouped 3 to 4 times and the telescope will create 2,000 jobs directly and indirectly. As the Dutch government considers the telescope important to science, society and the economy, it made the realisation of the project a national priority.