Mid-band gravitational wave detection with precision atomic sensors

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the potential of a satellite mission using atomic sensors to detect gravitational waves in a frequency range between LISA and LIGO, promising new astrophysical and cosmological discoveries.

Contribution

It proposes a novel satellite-based gravitational wave detector using laser cooled atomic Sr sensors, filling the frequency gap between existing detectors.

Findings

Achieves gravitational wave sensitivity in 30 mHz to 10 Hz range.

Enables detection of astrophysical sources like black hole binaries.

Facilitates searches for cosmological stochastic gravitational radiation and dark matter.

Abstract

We assess the science reach and technical feasibility of a satellite mission based on precision atomic sensors configured to detect gravitational radiation. Conceptual advances in the past three years indicate that a two-satellite constellation with science payloads consisting of atomic sensors based on laser cooled atomic Sr can achieve scientifically interesting gravitational wave strain sensitivities in a frequency band between the LISA and LIGO detectors, roughly 30 mHz to 10 Hz. The discovery potential of the proposed instrument ranges from from observation of new astrophysical sources (e.g. black hole and neutron star binaries) to searches for cosmological sources of stochastic gravitational radiation and searches for dark matter.