This is a multifaceted project whose main aim is to create awareness, be it in the public sphere or
in educational institutions. There are three major components to the project.
The first is building instruments that can count cosmic ray muons and neutrons. Tabletop experiments
involving this transmitter are proposed that will measure other characteristics of these particles, such as energy and charge. This work can soon spiral off into other directions revolving around particle detection amenable for agriculture and soil analysis.
The second part comprises work with our partners, the Khwarizmi Science Society (KSS) who would
loan an LHC Interactive Tunnel which will be set up in six roadshows across the country. This is a
museum scale interactive exhibit that employs augmented reality to demonstrate the Higgs field, proton
interactions and aspects of medical physics such as radiation therapy. The Tunnel is a fully immersive,
interactive, gaming experience that brings home deep concepts about gravity, elementary particle
physics and experiments underway at CERN, the world’s largest particle physics experiment.
The third aspect of this project revolves around the building of an astrophysics laboratory with
pedagogically designed, carefully crafted experiments that help probe planets, the sun, gravitational
waves mimicked by audio signals and the speed of light. These experiments will be easily replicable or
can be packaged as products. They will be accompanied by educational material, instructor resources,
software, and computer models. The work will also be advertised through media presentations.
The project promises the creation of new linkages, and a new curriculum for astrophysical investigations in the astronomy, physics or astrophysics laboratories. New products, processes, software and firmware will also emerge. The project builds on the track record of the PhysLab, the P.I.’s group and the outreach credentials of the partner, the KSS.
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