Project Office for the Feasibility Study of the Einstein Telescope in Lusatia
Saxony is making significant progress in the European competition for the Einstein Telescope. As part of the comprehensive feasibility study in Lusatia, supported by the federal and state governments, a dedicated project office is being established. Astroparticle physicist Prof. Christian Stegmann and geophysicist Prof. Andreas Rietbrock have now officially assumed joint scientific leadership of the team currently being assembled.
Andreas Rietbrock: “For its highly sensitive measurements, the Einstein Telescope requires stable ground and very low seismic noise. Lusatia offers extremely promising geological and seismological conditions—this is confirmed by initial measurements we have conducted. Our feasibility study will substantiate this strength with a solid scientific data foundation.”
Christian Stegmann: “For the Einstein Telescope, we need not only a location with geological stability and low seismic activity, but also people who are willing to help build this observatory over the coming years. Lusatia represents both. Our project brings together long-standing mining experience, top-level international science, and the region’s growing strengths as a hub for research and innovation.”
Together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Saxon consortium is intensively examining the site. The goal is to demonstrate the suitability of Lusatia as a location for the Einstein Telescope. The team benefits from extensive experience in mining. Over the course of the year, comprehensive data on the subsurface will be collected and analyzed, as geological and seismological conditions are crucial for this highly sensitive research infrastructure. Lusatia stands out here: stable granite rock, low population density, and very low seismic activity provide excellent conditions.
Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow: “With Prof. Stegmann and Prof. Rietbrock, two outstanding scientists are leading Saxony’s bid for the Einstein Telescope. With their expertise and networks, they are not only convincing but inspiring. Beyond proving the best scientific conditions, the competition for the site also requires that people in eastern Saxony identify with the project. For science and the economy in the Lusatia structural transition region, this is a unique opportunity.”
For Saxony, the benchmark is the scientific excellence of the project: the Einstein Telescope should be built at the most suitable location in Europe. In addition to geological and seismological conditions, the strengths of the research landscape are also decisive. With TU Dresden, the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (TU-BAF), and strong technological expertise, the potential site offers outstanding capabilities in many key areas of the project.
TU Dresden Rector Ursula M. Staudinger: “The establishment of the project office and the associated feasibility study represent another important step toward strengthening and scientifically demonstrating Lusatia’s excellent suitability as a site for the Einstein Telescope. This unique project represents a new dimension in gravitational wave and astroparticle physics that will shape international cutting-edge research for decades. As a University of Excellence, TU Dresden contributes its strengths in high-performance computing, AI-based data analysis, optoelectronics, and precision measurement technology to advance site development and create the conditions for a successful European bid.”
To strengthen the European dimension of the project, Saxony has already entered into a cooperation with Sardinia. Both locations aim to work closely together and combine their strengths—especially in the event that the Einstein Telescope is built as two L-shaped tunnel systems at two different sites in Europe. Saxony’s goal is to bring cutting-edge research and technology to the heart of Europe, while actively involving scientific communities in neighboring countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic.