Future Gravitational Wave Detectors Based on Atom Interferometry

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of atom interferometry for detecting gravitational waves in the mHz to 10 Hz range, highlighting recent developments, challenges, and future prospects.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of atom interferometry configurations for GW detection, comparing benefits and challenges with optical methods, and discusses current progress and noise mitigation strategies.

Findings

Atom interferometry can detect GWs in the mHz to 10 Hz band.

Atomic gradiometers show promise for GW detection.

Strategies to overcome noise sources are under development.

Abstract

We present the perspective of using atom interferometry for gravitational wave (GW) detection in the mHz to about 10 Hz frequency band. We focus on light-pulse atom interferometers which have been subject to intense developments in the last 25 years. We calculate the effect of the GW on the atom interferometer and present in details the atomic gradiometer configuration which has retained more attention recently. The principle of such a detector is to use free falling atoms to measure the phase of a laser, which is modified by the GW. We highlight the potential benefits of using atom interferometry compared to optical interferometry as well as the challenges which remain for the realization of an atom interferometry based GW detector. We present some of the important noise sources which are expected in such detectors and strategies to cirucumvent them. Experimental techniques related to cold atom interferometers are briefly explained. We finally present the current progress and projects in this rapidly evolving field.