The first results, which were shared this Friday, allow us to conclude that the subsoil of the border area between Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany is sufficiently stable and offers the necessary conditions for the construction of the telescope. “It appeared that the subsoil consists of harder rock layers than initially assumed, an advantage for the construction of underground research infrastructures.specify the various ministerial offices in a joint press release.
Further studies still needed
However, in-depth geological research is still necessary to determine where the three vertices of the telescope (three 10 km tubes which form a triangle) should be located. In addition, seismic studies must establish that the area is sufficiently noise-free so that gravitational waves can be optimally measured and civil engineering studies must illustrate the feasibility of constructing tunnels and viaducts. And this without forgetting to analyze the impact on the environment.
European Einstein telescope project: Belgian, German and Dutch ministers visiting the Aubel borehole
The new Flemish government has also announced that it has already reserved an envelope of 200 million for the project. Different amounts have already been recorded by the federal, Walloon, Dutch and German governments. The new Walloon Minister of Economy and Industry, Pierre-Yves Jeholet, assured of the support of the regional government for this project “of great importance for scientific research, European scientific collaboration but also for the economy of our regions“. “In the coming weeks, the Walloon Government will also expand its team around this project in order to maximize the chances of this joint application from Germany, the Netherlands, Flanders and Wallonia.”
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