Vacuum Technology has been secretly driving
all the most exciting experiments in recent history. Not only will scientists
be working with more galaxies than humans on Earth in the near future, but they
have already proved Einstein wrong on multiple occasions. Discover the latest
vacuum technology, including extraordinary Turbo Pumps, Turbomolecular Pumps,
and much more.
The Large Synoptic Survey
Telescope (LSST) will soon be the world's largest digital camera
One of the most exciting experiments in the
history of astronomy is placed strategically on the peak of Chile's Cerro
Pachón mountain. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is the world's
largest digital camera. With its eight-meter widefield ground-based telescope,
a 3.2 gigapixel camera and an automated data processing system, it is ready to
revolutionize our understanding of the universe. Those are just a handful of
its features.
The LSST is currently under construction and
is scheduled to launch operations in December 2023.
Within the next decade, the telescope,
according to its creators, will have cataloged more galaxies than people on
Earth. The study will result in a vast public data library. This will help us
gain a better grasp of dark energy and dark matter (which make up 95% of the
cosmos). Our understanding of galaxy formation and asteroids will skyrocket,
and yes, even potentially harmful ones.
Simply expressed, the purpose of the LSST
project is to record a significant portion of the sky with such periodicity
that every area of the open sky is recorded every other night. It will do so
for the next ten years. By the end of the project, we'll be able to build
astronomical catalogs that are thousands of times larger than anything ever
attempted.
Why LSST Needs Vacuum
Technology to Operate Effectively and Why is it so Important?
This project needs advanced equipment in order
to achieve and maintain the most intense vacuum technology settings. Indeed,
'vacuum' technology is at the cutting edge of almost every branch of
high-energy physics, surface science and particle acceleration.
The vacuum is "a space with a pressure
significantly lower than the surrounding atmospheric pressure", according
to its definition. Ideally, either “there is no matter” in the space, or the
pressure is so low that the particles left have no effect on any ongoing
activities.
All across the world, vacuum solutions are
employed in academic and government labs, as well as huge physics projects. Check the Agilent Vacuum Technology page to
learn more: all significant innovations in ion pump technology link back to
Varian Vacuum (now Agilent Vacuum). This has allowed us to live in the special,
incredible age of UHV - Ultra-High Vacuum - in which we find ourselves today.
The importance of vacuum for
LSST: the double challenge
The cryostat section is the camera's 'heart,'
where the focal plane is located. It's essential to protect and safeguard this
particularly vulnerable and vital area.
There were two major obstacles to overcome:
1. Remove as many typical atmospheric gases as
possible while keeping pressure under control. Unsurprisingly, the solution has
been to create a vacuum compartment for the cryostat section.
This has been allowed by Agilent vacuum pumps,
particularly the Agilent ion pumps. They were chosen for this project mainly
because they don't have any moving parts. This guarantees that no vibration
occurs during pump operation, preventing any interference with the LSST's
camera and allowing the LSST to deliver clean and crisp photos of the newly
discovered galaxies.
2. The temperature at the summit of Chile's
mountain ranges between -10° and 10°C, which is extremely cold. Lower
temperatures and long periods of downtime, in such a remote location, could
jeopardize the entire LSST project and must be handled, mitigated or avoided at
all costs.
Agilent supplied dry scroll pumps to address
this issue. These vacuum pumps, along with turbomolecular pumps, are the most
dependable in such harsh demanding environments.
Einstein didn't think humans
would ever detect ripples in space-time. We instead used a vacuum pump to prove
him wrong, over and over.
Another exciting and extraordinary discovery
happened in April 2020. Astrophysicists from the University of Chicago used
vacuum technology in a giant interferometer to detect ripples generated by the
collision between two black holes of significantly different masses.
The experiment allowed them to obtain
scientific evidence of gravitational waves. Albert Einstein hypothesized these
waves in his general theory of relativity in 1916, but they were never proven.
To put it succinctly, Einstein foresaw by means of his theory but never
demonstrated ripples in space-time.
Instead, over a century later, this extraordinary experiment detected what he
imagined.
How Did We Prove Einstein's
Theory?
In his famous theory of relativity, Einstein
predicted that when two tremendously massive bodies, such as planets or stars,
orbit one another and finally crash, a unique, invisible event happens: a
gravitational wave. Those waves travel at the speed of light (300,000 km/sec),
compressing and stretching the time-space in their path acting on the
space-time fabric itself. Gravitational waves spread like ripples in a pond
when a rock is thrown in it, except they are intangible and invisible ripples
in space.
LIGO, the huge Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-Wave Observatory, was the key in proving Einstein theory over a
century after his publication. LIGO was created specifically to capture
gravitational waves. Surprisingly, it also prepared the door for
gravitational-wave astrophysics, a brand-new field.
The method used by LIGO to detect these waves
is brilliant. First, a precise laser beam is shot and split in half
perpendicularly. Each beam is sent down one of two perpendicular tubes that are
identical. The lasers converge again after bouncing off mirrors at each tube's
end.
If a gravitational wave passes through Earth,
the fabric of spacetime is stretched, making one tube slightly longer and the
other slightly shorter. The two light beams no longer return at identical
lengths and phase, due to the stretching and compressing warp that occurs as
the wave passes.
When the gravitational wave detection is
successful and the two laser beams don’t match, you get a “funny chirp”.
Because of the sound they create in the data, LIGO scientists name these
recordings "chirps."
A steady high vacuum is
paramount for LIGO to work
This system is extremely sensitive. Precision
parameters are critical at all times for LIGO to function effectively. First of
all and foremost, a constant high vacuum in the long perpendicular tubes where
lasers run is the first requirement for excellent, and consistent, operation in
addition to the absence of vibrations that could impact the laser precision.
Agilent contributed to designing and
manufacturing the crucial vacuum pumps. Agilent developed unique ion pumps that
met all of the experiment's stringent requirements, enabling its success. On the
Agilent Ion Pumps and Agilent Turbo Pumps Page, you can learn more
about the latest technology innovations in vacuum.