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arXiv:2412.14960 · EPJ Quantum Technology

Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry: summary of the second workshop

Adam Abdalla, Mahiro Abe, Sven Abend, Mouine Abidi, Monika Aidelsburger, Ashkan Alibabaei, Baptiste Allard, John Antoniadis, G. Arduini, Nadja Augst, Philippos Balamatsias, Antun Balaž, Hannah Banks, Rachel L. Barcklay, M. Barone, Michele Barsanti, Mark G. Bason, Angelo Bassi, Jean-Baptiste Bayle, Charles F. A. Baynham, Quentin Beaufils, Sélyan Beldjoudi, Aleksandar Belić, Shayne Bennetts, J. Bernabéu, Andréa D Bertoldi, Clara Bigard, N. P. Bigelow, R. Bingham, Diego Blas, Alexey Bobrick, Samuel Boehringer, Aleksandar Bogojević, Kai Bongs, Daniela Bortoletto, Philippe Bouyer, Christian Brand, O. L. Buchmueller, Gabriela Buică, S. Calatroni, Léo Calmels, P. Cañizares, B. Canuel, A. Caramete, Laurentiu-Ioan Caramete, Matteo Carlesso, John Carlton, Samuel P. Carman, Andrew Carroll, Mateo Casariego, Minoas Chairetis, V. Charmandaris, Upasna Chauhan, Jiajun Chen, Maria Luisa Chiofalo, Donatella Ciampini, Alessia Cimbri, Pierre Cladé, J. P. Coleman, Florin Lucian Constantin, Carlo Contaldi, Robin Corgier, Bineet Dash, G. J. Davies, Claudia de Rham, Albert De Roeck, Daniel Derr, Soumyodeep Dey, Fabio Di Pumpo, Goran S. Djordjević, Babette Döbrich, P.J. Dornan, M. Doser, Giannis Drougakis, Jacob Dunningham, Alisher Duspayev, S. Easo, Joshua Eby, Maxim A. Efremov, Gedminas Elertas, John R. Ellis, N. Entin, S. Fairhurst, Mattia Fanì, F. Fassi, P. Fayet, Daniel Felea, J. H. Feng, R. Flack, Christopher J. Foot, Tim Freegarde, Elina Fuchs, Naceur Gaaloul, Dong-Feng Gao, Susan V Gardner, B. M. Garraway, Carlos L. Garrido Alzar, A. Gauguet, Enno Giese, Patrick Robert Gill

Published Apr 3, 2025• 16 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

This summary of the second Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry (TVLBAI) Workshop provides a comprehensive overview of our meeting held in London in April 2024 (Second Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop, Imperial College, April 2024 ), building on the initial discussions during the inaugural workshop held at CERN in March 2023 (First Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop, CERN, March 2023 ). Like the summary of the first workshop (Abend et al. in AVS Quantum Sci. 6:024701, 2024 ), this document records a critical milestone for the international atom interferometry community. It documents our concerted efforts to evaluate progress, address emerging challenges, and refine strategic directions for future large-scale atom interferometry projects. Our commitment to collaboration is manifested by the integration of diverse expertise and the coordination of international resources, all aimed at advancing the frontiers of atom interferometry physics and technology, as set out in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by over 50 institutions (Memorandum of Understanding for the Terrestrial Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometer Study).

DOI
10.1140/epjqt/s40507-025-00344-3

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This summary of the second Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry (TVLBAI) Workshop provides a comprehensive overview of our meeting held in London in April 2024 (Second Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop, Imperial College, April 2024 ), building on the initial discussions during the inaugural workshop held at CERN in March 2023 (First Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop, CERN, March 2023 ). Like the summary of the first workshop (Abend et al. in AVS Quantum Sci. 6:024701, 2024 ), this document records a critical milestone for the international atom interferometry community. It documents our concerted efforts to evaluate progress, address emerging challenges, and refine strategic directions for future large-scale atom interferometry projects. Our commitment to collaboration is manifested by the integration of diverse expertise and the coordination of international resources, all aimed at advancing the frontiers of atom interferometry physics and technology, as set out in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by over 50 institutions (Memorandum of Understanding for the Terrestrial Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometer Study).
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Abstract We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies.