2004 ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS - Indian Academy of Sciences

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CHAPTER 9 Table 1 Prioritized list of new facilities being recommended • Ground-based 1 • A 1.5 m-class optical telescope at Devasthal • A 50 cm-class Solar telescope 2 Imaging TeV gamma ray telescope • Space-based 1 A solar coronograph 2 A Near Infrared Spectro Photometer Table 2 Recommended upgrading of the existing telescopes • GMRT • Making the system broadband with ~ 250 MHz bandwidth • Lower temperature high frequency receivers • The 1 m telescope at Nainital • Modernizing, automating the telescope for a polarization survey • An imaging polarimeter and other necessary instruments • GRAPES III • Adding another ~ 2000 square metre of muon detectors • Himalayan Chandra Telescope • Instrumentation for mid-infrared observations Table 3 Recommended technology initiatives • Detector development for γ-rays, hard X-rays and infrared • Active and Adaptive optics • Hard X-ray mirrors • X-ray polarimeter • Space platforms for fundamental physics experiments 117
RECOMMENDATIONS The 1 m telescope at Nainital is more than thirty years old, and it should be modernized. This project provides the justification for doing it. A refurbished telescope and a new telescope at Devasthal will bring new life to this observatory. Given its links with the Institute of Technology at Roorkee, Kumaon University and Gorakpur University, a flourishing observatory will attract a lot of bright students. To do even a limited polarization survey, one will need a dedicated telescope which is fully automated. Considerable thought has to go into data handling, and the required software has to be developed. This challenge could provide the motivation for establishing formal links between the observatory at Nainital and the prestigious Institute of Technology at Roorkee. Such a synergy will be enormously beneficial to astronomy. • The Himalayan Chandra Telescope at Hanle The capabilities of the 2 m telescope at Hanle could be extended to cover longer wavelengths ( beyond 2.5 µm ). This would, however, require significant modifications of the optics. One would also have to develop cooled focal plane instruments for imaging and spectroscopy. 8. Travel Grants for observations The committee notes with concern the difficulties faced by astronomers in raising funds for travel in connections with observations. This is true even for travel within India. Most institutes commit their travel budget right at the beginning of the financial year. This makes it difficult to accommodate last minute requests for travel support. There is a related problem. Even when funds are available, only the senior persons are entitled to “air travel”. Since train bookings are now open 60 days in advance, it is extremely difficult to get tickets just a few weeks prior to the journey. Unfortunately, scheduling the observations at an observatory is a complicated matter and quite often the observers have only a relatively short notice. In the case of observing with major international facilities, the problem is further compounded by the fact that even today (although we have an extremely comfortable foreign exchange reserve) “foreign travel” is regarded as a rare privilege. There have been many instances when young astronomers were not able to utilize the time allotted at major telescopes due to lack of funds. This is unfortunate because it is extremely difficult to get time on the big optical telescopes like the VLT or KECK telescope, or large millimetre wave telescopes such as IRAM or SEST. This situation is to be contrasted with what prevails in Europe. It was the longstanding practice of the European Southern Observatory (whose telescopes are located in Chile) that when an astronomer from one of the member countries was granted time on the telescope then a free plane ticket to Chile was provided by ESO. The point is that such a guaranteed travel support is an insignificant expenditure compared to the cost of running a major observatory. The committee would like to strongly recommend that a similar system should be set up in India so that Indian astronomers who have to go to, say, GMRT, Nainital, Mount Abu or Hanle are able to get the cost of their air travel from the concerned observatories. Obviously, the observatories may not be able 118
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ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS A Decadal
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This publication of the Academy on
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Preface The Indian Academy of Scien
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The Academy Committee for Astronomy
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h e P a n e l s Theoretical Astroph
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C H A P T E R 1 Executive Summary
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The recommendatio
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY feasibility study
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C H A P T E R 2 The Present Revolut
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THE PRESENT REVOLUTION IN ASTRONOMY
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A large eruptive prominence in HeII
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SOLAR PHYSICS • Detailed study of
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SOLAR PHYSICS Nainital Observatory
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SOLAR PHYSICS Some Possible New Ini
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SOLAR PHYSICS Telescope and the Hel
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C H A P T E R 4 Optical, Infrared &
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OPTICAL, INFRARED & ULTRAVIOLET AST
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One of the 30 antennas of the GMRT
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RADIO ASTRONOMY India’s location
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RADIO ASTRONOMY The first telescope
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RADIO ASTRONOMY Central Electronic
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Page 83 and 84: HIGH ENERGY ASTRONOMY 100 cm 2 area
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Page 97 and 98: HIGH ENERGY ASTRONOMY from Hyderaba
Page 99 and 100: HIGH ENERGY ASTRONOMY • Solar con
Page 101 and 102: HIGH ENERGY ASTRONOMY nuclear compo
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Page 105 and 106: C H A P T E R Theoretical Astrophys
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Page 109 and 110: THEORETICAL ASTROPHYSICS There has
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Page 113 and 114: C H A P T E R Gravitation and Parti
Page 115 and 116: GRAVITATION AND PARTICLE ASTROPHYSI
Page 121 and 122: C H A P T E R Recommendations 9
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Page 133 and 134: RECOMMENDATIONS The committee appre
Page 135 and 136: RECOMMENDATIONS • All Sky Monitor
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Page 139 and 140: RECOMMENDATIONS • The committee s
Page 141 and 142: List of addresses Radio Observatori
Page 143 and 144: S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic
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2004 ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS - Indian Academy of Sciences

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