Superconducting Levitated Detector of Gravitational Waves

TL;DR

This paper proposes a superconducting levitated mass system as a novel gravitational wave detector capable of broadband sensitivity in the kHz to MHz range, potentially advancing astrophysical research.

Contribution

It introduces a superconducting levitated sphere coupled with a flux tunable microwave resonator for gravitational wave detection, a novel approach in the field.

Findings

Achieves broadband strain sensitivity of h ≲ 10^{-20}/√Hz at 1 kHz to 1 MHz

Demonstrates feasibility of quantum-limited readout for gravitational wave detection

Opens new frequency range for astrophysical gravitational wave observations

Abstract

A magnetically levitated mass couples to gravity and can act as an effective gravitational wave detector. We show that a superconducting sphere levitated in a quadrupolar magnetic field, when excited by a gravitational wave, will produce magnetic field fluctuations that can be read out using a flux tunable microwave resonator. With a readout operating at the standard quantum limit, such a system could achieve broadband strain noise sensitivity of $h \lesssim 10^{-20}/\sqrt{\rm Hz}$ for frequencies of $1~\mathrm{kHz}~-~1~\mathrm{MHz}$, opening new corridors for astrophysical probes of new physics.