Sinha: Plan time

Jamshedpur, Dec. 25: The UCIL mines at Jadugoda will be used to study the effect of cosmic rays below the earth surface.

The research, claimed to be the first of its kind in the world, will be undertaken by Bikash Sinha, the director of Calcutta-based Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, at different levels below the earth surface.

The project will be coordinated under the Union government’s department of atomic energy and will be known as “Dose Depth Study” of cosmic rays. Sinha, who was in the city for the study of the mines of UCIL at Jadugoda before starting the research, said the place would provide perfect environment for the work. The mines, extended to a few hundred metres, will provide sufficient depth to study the effect at the different levels.

“All over the world scientists have done hundreds of studies on the effect of cosmic rays on human beings, organic bodies and inorganic material on the earth surface. We ignored the fact that cosmic rays can penetrate below the earth’s surface and effect things in a different way. There is every possibility of an opposite reaction on the inorganic matters at a depth because of the pressure,” he said.

Sinha, could not fix a timeframe to complete the study. However, the director, who has worked for over three decades on different projects, mentioned that as per his present plans, the research would undertake studies up to the depth of 350 metres.

“It will be difficult to fix any time frame now as no one has done such research in the past. I can assure that finding will bring revolution in the field of physics and nuclear science,” said Sinha, adding that after the research the future generation will have a base to work and develop upon.