Contrast Loss from Astrophysical Backgrounds in Space-Based Matter-Wave Interferometers

TL;DR

This paper evaluates how astrophysical backgrounds like solar wind, photons, cosmic rays, neutrinos, and zodiacal dust cause decoherence in space-based atom and matter interferometers, potentially impacting their sensitivity for fundamental physics experiments.

Contribution

It provides detailed calculations of astrophysical background-induced decoherence effects on space-based interferometers, highlighting the importance of shielding to maintain sensitivity.

Findings

Solar wind causes decoherence beyond quantum noise limits without shielding.

Solar photons significantly affect matter interferometers.

Astrophysical backgrounds pose a major challenge for future space-based quantum sensors.

Abstract

Atom and matter interferometers are precise quantum sensing experiments that can probe differential forces along separated spacetime paths. Various atom and matter interferometer experiments have been proposed to study dark matter, gravitational waves, and exotic new physics. Increasingly, these experimental concepts have proposed space-based designs to maximize interrogation times and baselines. However, decoherence and phase shifts caused by astrophysical backgrounds could largely undermine or destroy the target sensitivity of the experiments. We calculate the decoherence effects induced by solar photons, the solar wind, cosmic rays, solar neutrinos and zodiacal dust on space-based atom and matter interferometers. We find that, in future space-based atom and matter interferometers, the solar wind generically produces decoherence beyond the quantum noise limit, without proper shielding. In addition, solar photons are also an important background for matter interferometers.