A M\"ossbauer Scheme to Probe Gravitational Waves

TL;DR

This paper proposes using M"ossbauer resonance with $^{109}$Ag to detect high-frequency gravitational waves, leveraging its high precision and sensitivity in a stationary setup influenced by local gravitational fields.

Contribution

It introduces a novel stationary M"ossbauer-based scheme for gravitational wave detection, capable of probing frequencies from KHz to MHz with high sensitivity.

Findings

High-frequency gravitational wave sensitivity demonstrated

Potential for compact, multi-band gravitational wave detectors

Sensitivity improved in low-gravity environments

Abstract

Under the local gravitational field, perturbations from high-frequency gravitational waves can cause a vertical shift of the M\"ossbauer resonance height. Considering a stationary scheme with the $^{109}$Ag isotope, we demonstrate that the extremely high precision of M\"ossbauer resonance allows for competitive gravitational wave sensitivity from KHz up to above MHz frequencies. M\"ossbauer resonance can offer a novel and small-sized alternative in the quest of multi-band gravitational wave searches. The presence of the static gravitational field plays essential role in the detection mechanism, isotope selection and sensitivity forecast. The proposed stationary scheme's sensitivity has the potential of significant improvement in a low-gravity environment.