A Prototype Atom Interferometer to Detect Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves

C. F. A. Baynham; R. Hobson; O. Buchmueller; D. Evans; L. Hawkins; L. Iannizzotto-Venezze; A. Josset; D. Lee; E. Pasatembou; B. E. Sauer; M. R. Tarbutt; T. Walker; O. Ennis; U. Chauhan; A. Brzakalik; S. Dey; S. Hedges; B. Stray; M. Langlois; K. Bongs; T. Hird; S. Lellouch; M. Holynski; B. Bostwick; J. Chen; Z. Eyler; V. Gibson; T. L. Harte; C. C. Hsu; M. Karzazi; C. Lu; B. Millward; J. Mitchell; N. Mouelle; B. Panchumarthi; J. Scheper; U. Schneider; X. Su; Y. Tang; K. Tkalcec; M. Zeuner; S. Zhang; Y. Zhi; L. Badurina; A. Beniwal; D. Blas; J. Carlton; J. Ellis; C. McCabe; G. Parish; D. Pathak Govardhan; V. Vaskonen; T. Bowcock; K. Bridges; A. Carroll; J. Coleman; G. Elertas; S. Hindley; C. Metelko; H. Throssell; J. N. Tinsley; E. Bentine; M. Booth; D. Bortoletto; N. Callaghan; C. Foot; C. Gomez-Monedero; K. Hughes; A. James; T. Leese; A. Lowe; J. March-Russell; J. Sander; J. Schelfhout; I. Shipsey; D. Weatherill; D. Wood; M. G. Bason; K. Hussain; H. Labiad; A. L. Marchant; T. C. Thornton; T. Valenzuela; S. N. Balashov; P. Majewski; D. Newbold; M. G. D. van der Grinten; Z. Pan; Z. Tam; I. Wilmut; K. Clarke; A. Vick

doi:10.48550/arXiv.2504.09158

A Prototype Atom Interferometer to Detect Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves

C. F. A. Baynham
, R. Hobson
, O. Buchmueller
, D. Evans
, L. Hawkins
, L. Iannizzotto-Venezze
, A. Josset
, D. Lee
, E. Pasatembou
, B. E. Sauer
, M. R. Tarbutt
, T. Walker
, O. Ennis
, U. Chauhan
, A. Brzakalik
, S. Dey
, S. Hedges
, B. Stray
, M. Langlois
, K. Bongs

T. Hird, S. Lellouch, M. Holynski, B. Bostwick, J. Chen, Z. Eyler, V. Gibson, T. L. Harte, C. C. Hsu, M. Karzazi, C. Lu, B. Millward, J. Mitchell, N. Mouelle, B. Panchumarthi, J. Scheper, U. Schneider, X. Su, Y. Tang, K. Tkalcec, M. Zeuner, S. Zhang, Y. Zhi, L. Badurina, A. Beniwal, D. Blas, J. Carlton, J. Ellis, C. McCabe, G. Parish, D. Pathak Govardhan, V. Vaskonen, T. Bowcock, K. Bridges, A. Carroll, J. Coleman, G. Elertas, S. Hindley, C. Metelko, H. Throssell, J. N. Tinsley, E. Bentine, M. Booth, D. Bortoletto, N. Callaghan, C. Foot, C. Gomez-Monedero, K. Hughes, A. James, T. Leese, A. Lowe, J. March-Russell, J. Sander, J. Schelfhout, I. Shipsey, D. Weatherill, D. Wood, M. G. Bason, K. Hussain, H. Labiad, A. L. Marchant, T. C. Thornton, T. Valenzuela, S. N. Balashov, P. Majewski, D. Newbold, M. G. D. van der Grinten, Z. Pan, Z. Tam, I. Wilmut, K. Clarke, A. Vick

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Abstract

The AION project has built a tabletop prototype of a single-photon long-baseline atom interferometer using the 87Sr clock transition - a type of quantum sensor designed to search for dark matter and gravitational waves. Our prototype detector operates at the Standard Quantum Limit (SQL), producing a signal with no unexpected noise beyond atom shot noise. Importantly, the detector remains at the SQL even when additional laser phase noise is introduced, emulating conditions in a long-baseline detector such as AION or AEDGE where significant laser phase deviations will accumulate during long atom interrogation times. Our results mark a key milestone in extending atom interferometers to long baselines. Such interferometers can complement laser-interferometer gravitational wave detectors by accessing the mid-frequency gravitational wave band around 1 Hz, and can search for physics beyond the Standard Model.

Original language	English
Publisher	arXiv
Number of pages	22
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2504.09158
Publication status	Published - 12 Apr 2025

Bibliographical note

V2: minor fixes of author list issues and references

Keywords

hep-ex
astro-ph.IM
gr-qc
hep-ph
physics.atom-ph

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BaynhamCFA2025Prototype_preprintOther version, 2.01 MBLicence: None: All rights reserved

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Baynham, C. F. A., Hobson, R., Buchmueller, O., Evans, D., Hawkins, L., Iannizzotto-Venezze, L., Josset, A., Lee, D., Pasatembou, E., Sauer, B. E., Tarbutt, M. R., Walker, T., Ennis, O., Chauhan, U., Brzakalik, A., Dey, S., Hedges, S., Stray, B., Langlois, M., ... Vick, A. (2025). A Prototype Atom Interferometer to Detect Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2504.09158

@techreport{6043d4d55ab74507a6bf72ee058f6b58,

title = "A Prototype Atom Interferometer to Detect Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves",

abstract = " The AION project has built a tabletop prototype of a single-photon long-baseline atom interferometer using the 87Sr clock transition - a type of quantum sensor designed to search for dark matter and gravitational waves. Our prototype detector operates at the Standard Quantum Limit (SQL), producing a signal with no unexpected noise beyond atom shot noise. Importantly, the detector remains at the SQL even when additional laser phase noise is introduced, emulating conditions in a long-baseline detector such as AION or AEDGE where significant laser phase deviations will accumulate during long atom interrogation times. Our results mark a key milestone in extending atom interferometers to long baselines. Such interferometers can complement laser-interferometer gravitational wave detectors by accessing the mid-frequency gravitational wave band around 1 Hz, and can search for physics beyond the Standard Model. ",

keywords = "hep-ex, astro-ph.IM, gr-qc, hep-ph, physics.atom-ph",

author = "Baynham, \{C. F. A.\} and R. Hobson and O. Buchmueller and D. Evans and L. Hawkins and L. Iannizzotto-Venezze and A. Josset and D. Lee and E. Pasatembou and Sauer, \{B. E.\} and Tarbutt, \{M. R.\} and T. Walker and O. Ennis and U. Chauhan and A. Brzakalik and S. Dey and S. Hedges and B. Stray and M. Langlois and K. Bongs and T. Hird and S. Lellouch and M. Holynski and B. Bostwick and J. Chen and Z. Eyler and V. Gibson and Harte, \{T. L.\} and Hsu, \{C. C.\} and M. Karzazi and C. Lu and B. Millward and J. Mitchell and N. Mouelle and B. Panchumarthi and J. Scheper and U. Schneider and X. Su and Y. Tang and K. Tkalcec and M. Zeuner and S. Zhang and Y. Zhi and L. Badurina and A. Beniwal and D. Blas and J. Carlton and J. Ellis and C. McCabe and G. Parish and Govardhan, \{D. Pathak\} and V. Vaskonen and T. Bowcock and K. Bridges and A. Carroll and J. Coleman and G. Elertas and S. Hindley and C. Metelko and H. Throssell and Tinsley, \{J. N.\} and E. Bentine and M. Booth and D. Bortoletto and N. Callaghan and C. Foot and C. Gomez-Monedero and K. Hughes and A. James and T. Leese and A. Lowe and J. March-Russell and J. Sander and J. Schelfhout and I. Shipsey and D. Weatherill and D. Wood and Bason, \{M. G.\} and K. Hussain and H. Labiad and Marchant, \{A. L.\} and Thornton, \{T. C.\} and T. Valenzuela and Balashov, \{S. N.\} and P. Majewski and D. Newbold and \{van der Grinten\}, \{M. G. D.\} and Z. Pan and Z. Tam and I. Wilmut and K. Clarke and A. Vick",

note = "V2: minor fixes of author list issues and references",

year = "2025",

month = apr,

day = "12",

doi = "10.48550/arXiv.2504.09158",

language = "English",

publisher = "arXiv",

type = "WorkingPaper",

institution = "arXiv",

}

Baynham, CFA, Hobson, R, Buchmueller, O, Evans, D, Hawkins, L, Iannizzotto-Venezze, L, Josset, A, Lee, D, Pasatembou, E, Sauer, BE, Tarbutt, MR, Walker, T, Ennis, O, Chauhan, U, Brzakalik, A, Dey, S, Hedges, S, Stray, B, Langlois, M, Bongs, K , Hird, T , Lellouch, S , Holynski, M, Bostwick, B, Chen, J, Eyler, Z, Gibson, V, Harte, TL, Hsu, CC, Karzazi, M, Lu, C, Millward, B, Mitchell, J, Mouelle, N, Panchumarthi, B, Scheper, J, Schneider, U, Su, X, Tang, Y, Tkalcec, K, Zeuner, M, Zhang, S, Zhi, Y, Badurina, L, Beniwal, A, Blas, D, Carlton, J, Ellis, J, McCabe, C, Parish, G, Govardhan, DP, Vaskonen, V, Bowcock, T, Bridges, K, Carroll, A, Coleman, J, Elertas, G, Hindley, S, Metelko, C, Throssell, H, Tinsley, JN, Bentine, E, Booth, M, Bortoletto, D, Callaghan, N, Foot, C, Gomez-Monedero, C, Hughes, K, James, A, Leese, T, Lowe, A, March-Russell, J, Sander, J, Schelfhout, J, Shipsey, I, Weatherill, D, Wood, D, Bason, MG, Hussain, K, Labiad, H, Marchant, AL, Thornton, TC, Valenzuela, T, Balashov, SN, Majewski, P, Newbold, D, van der Grinten, MGD, Pan, Z, Tam, Z, Wilmut, I, Clarke, K & Vick, A 2025 'A Prototype Atom Interferometer to Detect Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves' arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2504.09158

TY - UNPB

T1 - A Prototype Atom Interferometer to Detect Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves

AU - Baynham, C. F. A.

AU - Hobson, R.

AU - Buchmueller, O.

AU - Evans, D.

AU - Hawkins, L.

AU - Iannizzotto-Venezze, L.

AU - Josset, A.

AU - Lee, D.

AU - Pasatembou, E.

AU - Sauer, B. E.

AU - Tarbutt, M. R.

AU - Walker, T.

AU - Ennis, O.

AU - Chauhan, U.

AU - Brzakalik, A.

AU - Dey, S.

AU - Hedges, S.

AU - Stray, B.

AU - Langlois, M.

AU - Bongs, K.

AU - Hird, T.

AU - Lellouch, S.

AU - Holynski, M.

AU - Bostwick, B.

AU - Chen, J.

AU - Eyler, Z.

AU - Gibson, V.

AU - Harte, T. L.

AU - Hsu, C. C.

AU - Karzazi, M.

AU - Lu, C.

AU - Millward, B.

AU - Mitchell, J.

AU - Mouelle, N.

AU - Panchumarthi, B.

AU - Scheper, J.

AU - Schneider, U.

AU - Su, X.

AU - Tang, Y.

AU - Tkalcec, K.

AU - Zeuner, M.

AU - Zhang, S.

AU - Zhi, Y.

AU - Badurina, L.

AU - Beniwal, A.

AU - Blas, D.

AU - Carlton, J.

AU - Ellis, J.

AU - McCabe, C.

AU - Parish, G.

AU - Govardhan, D. Pathak

AU - Vaskonen, V.

AU - Bowcock, T.

AU - Bridges, K.

AU - Carroll, A.

AU - Coleman, J.

AU - Elertas, G.

AU - Hindley, S.

AU - Metelko, C.

AU - Throssell, H.

AU - Tinsley, J. N.

AU - Bentine, E.

AU - Booth, M.

AU - Bortoletto, D.

AU - Callaghan, N.

AU - Foot, C.

AU - Gomez-Monedero, C.

AU - Hughes, K.

AU - James, A.

AU - Leese, T.

AU - Lowe, A.

AU - March-Russell, J.

AU - Sander, J.

AU - Schelfhout, J.

AU - Shipsey, I.

AU - Weatherill, D.

AU - Wood, D.

AU - Bason, M. G.

AU - Hussain, K.

AU - Labiad, H.

AU - Marchant, A. L.

AU - Thornton, T. C.

AU - Valenzuela, T.

AU - Balashov, S. N.

AU - Majewski, P.

AU - Newbold, D.

AU - van der Grinten, M. G. D.

AU - Pan, Z.

AU - Tam, Z.

AU - Wilmut, I.

AU - Clarke, K.

AU - Vick, A.

N1 - V2: minor fixes of author list issues and references

PY - 2025/4/12

Y1 - 2025/4/12

N2 - The AION project has built a tabletop prototype of a single-photon long-baseline atom interferometer using the 87Sr clock transition - a type of quantum sensor designed to search for dark matter and gravitational waves. Our prototype detector operates at the Standard Quantum Limit (SQL), producing a signal with no unexpected noise beyond atom shot noise. Importantly, the detector remains at the SQL even when additional laser phase noise is introduced, emulating conditions in a long-baseline detector such as AION or AEDGE where significant laser phase deviations will accumulate during long atom interrogation times. Our results mark a key milestone in extending atom interferometers to long baselines. Such interferometers can complement laser-interferometer gravitational wave detectors by accessing the mid-frequency gravitational wave band around 1 Hz, and can search for physics beyond the Standard Model.

AB - The AION project has built a tabletop prototype of a single-photon long-baseline atom interferometer using the 87Sr clock transition - a type of quantum sensor designed to search for dark matter and gravitational waves. Our prototype detector operates at the Standard Quantum Limit (SQL), producing a signal with no unexpected noise beyond atom shot noise. Importantly, the detector remains at the SQL even when additional laser phase noise is introduced, emulating conditions in a long-baseline detector such as AION or AEDGE where significant laser phase deviations will accumulate during long atom interrogation times. Our results mark a key milestone in extending atom interferometers to long baselines. Such interferometers can complement laser-interferometer gravitational wave detectors by accessing the mid-frequency gravitational wave band around 1 Hz, and can search for physics beyond the Standard Model.

KW - hep-ex

KW - astro-ph.IM

KW - gr-qc

KW - hep-ph

KW - physics.atom-ph

U2 - 10.48550/arXiv.2504.09158

DO - 10.48550/arXiv.2504.09158

M3 - Preprint

BT - A Prototype Atom Interferometer to Detect Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves

PB - arXiv

ER -

A Prototype Atom Interferometer to Detect Dark Matter and Gravitational Waves

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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