Statement of the German ET Community on the coalition agreement of the new German Government regarding gravitational wave astronomy
The German scientific community engaged in gravitational wave astronomy welcomes the statements in the coalition agreement saying “Wir beteiligen uns am Wettbewerb um einen Gravitationswellendetektor”1and “Wir befürworten die Errichtung des Einstein-Teleskops in Deutschland als europäisches Leuchtturmprojekt“2 as an important and timely step forward. We are pleased that this commitment acknowledges the strategic importance of ET for the future of fundamental science and technology development in Germany and Europe’s global leadership in this field.
Germany is exceptionally well-positioned to take on a leading role in ET:
- It is home to world-leading institutions in gravitational wave research and relevant technologies, including large research institutions3, and currently 19 universities and universities of applied sciences. These institutions are organised in the German ET Coordination Group. Currently, more than 250 scientists and engineers in 13 German Research Units are actively engaged in the international ET Collaboration.
- Germany played a key role in the initial conception of ET, and, together with German industry partners, it is contributing cutting-edge research to a variety of key technologies e.g. in laser interferometry and quantum sensing – essential for ET’s success.
- Furthermore, Germany is geographically connected to the Euregio Meuse-Rhine (EMR) in the west and Lusatia in the east. This unique position offers a natural bridging role between (potential) candidate sites and underlines Germany’s responsibility to contribute constructively and inclusively to the ongoing site selection process.
With the coalition agreement now setting a clear direction, the German ET community hopes that the federal government will actively engage in shaping the project at the European level. This could include contributing to the ongoing European governance discussions, supporting preparatory activities and innovative technologies in Germany, and facilitating coordination across the relevant institutions.
1 Chapter 2.4 “Bildung, Forschung, Innovation”
2 Chapter 5.2 „Europa“
3 the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, three Fraunhofer institutes (ILT and IPT in Aachen, IOF in Jena), the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), the German Center for Astrophysics (DZA), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Leibniz Institut für Kristallzüchtung, and the LaserZentrumHannover