On November 8, Ingrid van Engelshoven – demissionary minister of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) – opened ETpathfinder. She did this with a push of a button from the cleanroom – a dust-free room with a constant temperature that you can only enter in a special suit. This act was part of a festive ceremony. Below is an animation that Marco Kraan (Nikhef) made for the occasion, and a photo report of the opening.
ETpathfinder is a state-of-the-art physics laboratory that will serve as a testing ground for the development of technology for future gravitational wave detectors. The arrival of ETpathfinder also strengthens the position of the border region as a candidate site for the new European gravitational wave detector, the Einstein Telescope.
Watch the animation:
Photo impression:
