Indian scientists are part of Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time. Everything you need to know

The NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has started the revolutionary Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) to be carried out for 10 years. The aim is to create the most comprehensive record of the universe. Rubin will observe the southern sky every few nights over 10 years and create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our universe. Indian scientists are also playing a major role in the project. India has made several critical science collaborations. The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune and the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) are the main bodies involved in the LSST program.

Indian scientists in gravitational lensing project

The LSST Strong Lensing Science Collaboration is one of the most prominent roles being played by Indian scientists. Institutes such as IUCAA, IIA, TIFR, NCRA, IIT-Bombay, and IIT-Indore are involved in the project. Dr Anupreeta More (IUCAA) is the co-chair of this international collaboration. Gravitational lensing is a cosmic phenomenon where a bigger object in front of a more distant object bends its light, acting like a magnifying glass.

LSST's lensing project will work to discover more than 10,000 gravitational lenses. Indian researchers are at the forefront of the endeavour to find rare events, like supernovae or kilonovae, through these gravitational lenses. The data will help scientists measure the expansion rate and age of the universe.

Managing data

Over its course of 10 years, the LSST project will likely image roughly 20 billion galaxies. The immense data gathered will require expert handling. Indian scientists will be part of this aspect as well. Prof. Yogesh Wadadekar (NCRA-TIFR) is a key member of the LSST Galaxies Science Collaboration. Indian scientists are leveraging Rubin’s ultra-deep imaging capabilities to study the structural evolution, formation, and billions of years of history behind these billions of galaxies.

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Cosmological Mapping

India is also involved in the mapping of the large-scale structure of the universe, particularly looking at dark matter and dark energy. Prof. Surhud More serves as the Rubin IUCAA Program Manager.Indian cosmologists are actively working on mapping the distribution of dark matter across half the night sky. They are also exploring how dark energy influences cosmic acceleration.

India will use it several ground-based telescopes to follow up on Rubin's observations. The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) run by NCRA, and various optical/infrared facilities will be ready to take another look at everything Rubin sees. As the Rubin Observatory flags millions of real-time "alerts" every single night for things that move, blink, or explode, Indian telescopes focus in again. This will allow capturing transient phenomena, like the gravitational wave mergers of neutron stars, across multiple spectra of light.

What will Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time do?

The LSST will reveal millions of new asteroids and comets in the solar system that are currently undetected. The world's most powerful camera will also study the Milky Way and scan the invisible layers of cosmic dust where new stars are forming. Dark matter and dark energy, which govern the expansion of the universe, will be one of the main subjects. Supernovas, pulsating stars and black holes will be the enigmatic subject matters.