A vision for INO and the challenge

INO has been conceived on a scale that no other basic sciences project in India has attempted. The MoU signed by seven institutions, that brought the Neutrino Collaboration Group into existence, is already the first of its kind. It is a testimony to the enthusiasm and collaborative spirit shown by the scientific community in India.

In the first phase of its operation a magnetised iron calorimeter detector, weighing about 50000 tons, will be used for studying neutrinos produced from cosmic rays in Earth's atmosphere. The aim is to make precision measurements of the parameters related to neutrino oscillations. An exciting possibility is to determine the ordering of the neutrino masses which is not very well known at present. This is one of the fundamental open questions in neutrino physics and no other detector either existing or planned except perhaps NO$\nu$ A may be able to provide an answer in the next 10 years. Because of its ability to distinguish the positive and negative muons, this detector can settle this question.

This detector can also be used as the far-detector of a long-base-line (6000 to 11500 km) neutrino experiment using the neutrino beam from a neutrino factory in Japan, Europe or USA. These are neutrinos that will be produced in a future accelerator facility which are beamed towards the detectors situated in a different part of the Earth. This is envisaged as the second phase of the INO activity, and is a long-term goal, since neutrino factories are yet to become a reality. However, there is considerable interest in this possibility not only for the rich physics potential but also because the proposed detector at INO will be capable of charge identification, which is crucial for this mode of operation.

INO will have an impact on the emerging high energy physics scenario in the country. People trained at INO will not only participate here but also have the expertise to contribute to other high energy and nuclear physics projects around the world. Over the long term INO is expected to develop into a world class underground science laboratory straddling many fields like physics, biology, geology and allied engineering fields.

Members of INO are acutely aware that the laboratory is being located in an environmentally and ecologically sensitive environment. During its normal operation phase, the laboratory is not expected to cause any damage to the environment. All efforts will be made to minimise the disturbance during the construction phase.

Being part of such a sensitive biosphere reserve will also bestow responsibilities on INO collaboration not only to maintain and but also to improve the conditions where possible. It is the intention of INO members to be active participants in the effort to preserve the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve by active cooperation with existing efforts in the region.

INO is looking for scientists and engineers who will enjoy the challenge of setting up an entirely new facility to do world class research. Now is the right time to join us and make a difference!