THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thanu Padmanabhan Centre of Excellence in Astronomy and Astrophysics which is being established under Kerala University. has the potential to develop into a major facility for cutting-edge research in cosmology and astrophysics, according to noted cosmologist Hamsa Padmanabhan.
Hamsa, daughter of the late theoretical physicist and cosmologist Thanu Padmanabhan, after whom the centre has been named, is currently the principal investigator at the University of Geneva. She is in the state as part of providing informal assistance in setting up the centre.
In a chat with The New Indian Express, Hamsa said Thanu Padmanabhan's students across the world, who are leading scientists and researchers, would soon start associating with the centre, which would function on the lines of the prestigious Max Planck Institutes in Germany that are leading autonomous centres of excellence.
"The centre would bring together a large number of excellent teachers as well as leading researchers in cosmology and astrophysics. Also, the centre would collaborate at the international level with leading institutes," she said. Hamsa added that the centre could also develop as a central point of contact for various astrophysics institutes in India.
The cosmologist also spoke about the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, an international effort to build the world's largest radio telescope, with eventually over a square kilometre of collecting area. She added that India was actively involved in the initiative through the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).
She hoped SKA, being one of the largest scientific endeavours in history, will bring together the world's finest scientists, engineers and policymakers, paving the way for more international collaboration not only in astrophysics but in allied fields as well.
Hamsa further mentioned how she has come across a large number of students who are keen to take up research in astrophysics. "Students from leading institutes in India have evinced interest in knowing more about astrophysics. The setting up of the Thanu Padmanabhan centre would be a driving force in that direction," she remarked.
Asked about the practical aspects of research in astrophysics, Hamsa said the world wide web, WiFi, GPS and the Internet were some of the direct products of astrophysical research. "Astrophysicists are putting their minds to extract data from a huge amount of noise. We owe too much to the industrial offshoots that come from research in the field," she added.