A new approach to detecting gravitational waves via the coupling of gravity to the zero-point energy of the phonon modes of a superconductor

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel method for gravitational wave detection by coupling gravity to the zero-point energy of superconductor phonon modes, predicting a charge separation effect as a detectable signature.

Contribution

It introduces a new theoretical framework linking gravitational waves to superconductor phonon zero-point energy, leading to a potential charge separation detection method.

Findings

Predicts a London-like response of superconductors to gravitational waves.

Shows a significant difference in response between Cooper pairs and ionic lattice.

Proposes a charge separation effect as a new gravitational wave detection mechanism.

Abstract

The response of a superconductor to a gravitational wave is shown to obey a London-like constituent equation. The Cooper pairs are described by the Ginzburg-Landau free energy density embedded in curved spacetime. The lattice ions are modeled by quantum harmonic oscillators characterized by quasi-energy eigenvalues. This formulation is shown to predict a dynamical Casimir effect since the zero-point energy of the ionic lattice phonons is modulated by the gravitational wave. It is also shown that the response to a gravitational wave is far less for the Cooper pair density than for the ionic lattice. This predicts a "charge separation effect" which can be used to detect the passage of a gravitational wave.