The Belgian flag flies at the European Gravitational Observatory

Located in Cascina, in the countryside near Pisa (Italy), EGO is home to the Virgo experiment, the most sensitive gravitational wave detector in Europe. Gravitational waves are deformations of spacetime caused by accelerated masses. Their observation is expected to lead to major breakthroughs in astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental interactions. For example, gravitational wave observations have already revealed extraordinary astrophysical phenomena such as the mergers of black holes and neutron stars. In the future—particularly once the new Einstein Telescope observatory becomes operational—these observations may even provide information about the early phases of the Universe, which remain beyond the reach of current observational techniques.

Extending our knowledge of Nature often leads, in the long term, to practical applications. Moreover, because of the extraordinary precision required by detectors like Virgo, gravitational wave science pushes the frontiers of applied research in areas such as lasers, optics, control systems, mechatronics, materials science, and data science.
EGO was founded in 2000 by the INFN (Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics) and the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research). The membership of FNRS and FWO places Belgium alongside Italy, France, and the Netherlands as countries contributing financially to the observatory. The Belgian flag can now be seen flying prominently at the site, as photographed by UCLouvain PhD student Swapnil Dhage during his recent visit.

In total, more than 1000 scientists from 21 countries contribute to the Virgo international collaboration, including 22 researchers from UCLouvain. The UCLouvain GW group is contributing to the development of new optomechanical techniques, computing and data analysis. Developments at UCLouvain help strengthen the bridge between today’s gravitational wave observatories and next generation infrastructures such as the Einstein Telescope.

The Einstein Telescope will be the world’s largest gravitational wave observatory, located 250 metres underground, with the goal of deepening our understanding of black hole physics, stellar evolution, and the moments following the Big Bang. Its location will be decided in the coming years. Belgium is supporting a joint bid with Germany and the Netherlands to host this infrastructure in the Euregio Meuse–Rhine region. In this respect, FNRS joining the EGO council gives a strong signal of the role that Belgium can play in gravitational physics, Virgo and the Einstein Telescope project
    
Read more here:  https://www.ego-gw.it/blog/2025/03/19/belgium-is-the-fourth-european-country-to-join-the-ego-consortium/