Loktak in universe: Meitei astrophysicist leads discovery of 12.6-billion-year-old galaxy protocluster

GUWAHATI: An Indian astrophysicist from Manipur, based at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), has led an international team to discover a 12.6-billion-year-old primitive galaxy protocluster, described as the “seeds” of today’s massive cosmic structures.The structure, located in the direction of the constellation Sextans, has been named the ‘Loktak Protocluster’ after Manipur’s Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in northeast India. The findings were published in “The Astrophysical Journal Letters” in April.Lead astrophysicist Dr Ronaldo Laishram (30) said the name reflects the protocluster’s structure. “The name reflects the way four separate galaxy concentrations are connected into one larger cosmic system, resembling the floating phumdis of Loktak Lake within one interconnected body of water,” he said.Laishram said, “Loktak is deeply connected to Manipur's identity. Naming this discovery after Loktak Lake is my way of connecting our home with the wider universe. In that sense, the name Loktak will continue to echo in the story of the universe.”He also spoke about the situation in Manipur. “Our earth is very small in terms of the universe, just a point and here we are killing each other and it doesn’t make any sense. It is very important to care for our planet and for our younger generation to understand how unique our planet and our Manipur culture is. Everyone should live in harmony and I hope so as it a very sad scenario in Manipur.”Laishram, who is from Khangabok in Thoubal district, said the Loktak Protocluster existed when the Universe was only about 1.2 billion years old.Using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team found that galaxies in this densely populated cosmic environment were already growing differently from galaxies in typical environments at the same epoch.“Protoclusters are the construction sites of the most massive structures in the present-day Universe. Finding such a clearly organized system at this early epoch gives us a rare chance to study how environment affects galaxy growth in the young Universe,” Laishram said.Laishram, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS), Tokyo is not new to discoveries in the universe. At the age of 18, he discovered a preliminary Main Belt asteroid as part of the All India Asteroid Search Campaign and was felicitated by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam for the achievement.A computer science and engineering graduate from JSS Science and Technology University (SJCE), Mysuru, Laishram later completed his Master’s and PhD in astronomy and astrophysics at Tohoku University, Japan.He is also the founding coordinator of the Manipur Astronomical Society (MAS), dedicated to promoting astronomy awareness and science education among youth in Manipur and northeast India.