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arXiv:2504.09158 · Nature

A prototype differential atom interferometer for fundamental physics

Charles F. A. Baynham, Richard Hobson, O. L. Buchmueller, D. Evans, Leonie Hawkins, L. Iannizzotto-Venezze, A. Josset, D. Lee, Elizabeth Pasatembou, B. E. Sauer, Michael R. Tarbutt, T. Walker, O. Ennis, Upasna Chauhan, A. Brzakalik, S. Dey, Sam Hedges, Ben Stray, Mehdi Langlois, Kai Bongs, T. M. Hird, Samuel Lellouch, Michael Holynski, B. Bostwick, Jinglei Chen, Z. Eyler, V. Gibson, T. L. Harte, C. C. Hsu, M. Karzazi, C. Lu, B. Millward, Jeremiah Mitchell, Noam Mouelle, B. Panchumarthi, J. Scheper, Ulrich Schneider, Xing Guang Su, Yijun Tang, Kimberly E. Tkalcec, M. Zeuner, S. Zhang, Y. Zhi, Leonardo Badurina, A. Beniwal, Diego Blas, J. Carlton, John R. Ellis, Christopher McCabe, G. Parish, D. Pathak Govardhan, Ville Vaskonen, T. J. V. Bowcock, Kieran Bridges, A. Carroll, J. P. Coleman, Gedminas Elertas, Sam Hindley, C. J. Metelko, H. Throssell, Jonathan N. Tinsley, Elliot Bentine, Martin J. Booth, D. Bortoletto, N. Callaghan, Christopher J. Foot, C. Gomez-Monedero, K. Hughes, A. James, T. Leese, A. Lowe, John March-Russell, J. Sander, J. Schelfhout, Ian P. J. Shipsey, D. Weatherill, D. Wood, S. N. Balashov, Mark G. Bason, K. Hussain, Hamza Labiad, Peter J. Majewski, A. L. Marchant, D. M. Newbold, Z. Pan, Z. Tam, T. C. Thornton, T. Valenzuela, M. G. D. van der Grinten, I. Wilmut, K. Clarke, Andrew Vick, Sam Hedges, Ben Stray, Mehdi Langlois, Kai Bongs, B. Bostwick, B. Panchumarthi, Xing Guang Su, M. Zeuner

Published Jun 17, 2026• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Gravitational waves and ultralight dark matter are among the most compelling frontiers in fundamental physics, motivating proposals for very-long-baseline atom interferometerssuch as AION 1 , MAGIS 2 , AICE 3 and AEDGE 4 that aim to detect at frequencies at which ground-based 5 and space-borne 6 laser interferometers lose sensitivity. Very-long-baseline atom interferometers look for signals by comparing the quantum phase evolution of widely separated atomic ensembles interrogated by a common laser. However, their performance depends critically on suppressing noise sources, particularly laser phase noise. The experimental validation of such noise rejection remains an important challenge. Here we demonstrate a prototype differential atom interferometer based on the single-photon clock transition of fermionic 87 Sr. Thus, we obtain a gradiometer configuration with a species intrinsically suited to kilometre-scale and space-baseline operation. The instrument operates at the standard quantum limit 7 with no excess noise beyond atom shot noise. The differential configuration maintains quantum-limited sensitivity in the presence of several radians of artificially injected laser phase noise per shot, which emulates the conditions expected in a very-long-baseline atom interferometer. We also demonstrate the recovery of coherent oscillatory signals across a broad frequency range under fully phase-randomized conditions, a capability that is inaccessible to a single interferometer operating in the same regime. These results provide an experimental validation of the noise-immune measurement principle underlying very-long-baseline atom interferometers and mark an important step towards next-generation quantum sensors for gravitational-wave detection and searches for ultralight dark matter 8,9 .

DOI
10.1038/s41586-026-10617-1

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Abstract Gravitational waves and ultralight dark matter are among the most compelling frontiers in fundamental physics, motivating proposals for very-long-baseline atom interferometerssuch as AION 1 , MAGIS 2 , AICE 3 and AEDGE 4 that aim to detect at frequencies at which ground-based 5 and space-borne 6 laser interferometers lose sensitivity. Very-long-baseline atom interferometers look for signals by comparing the quantum phase evolution of widely separated atomic ensembles interrogated by a common laser. However, their performance depends critically on suppressing noise sources, particularly laser phase noise. The experimental validation of such noise rejection remains an important challenge. Here we demonstrate a prototype differential atom interferometer based on the single-photon clock transition of fermionic 87 Sr. Thus, we obtain a gradiometer configuration with a species intrinsically suited to kilometre-scale and space-baseline operation. The instrument operates at the standard quantum limit 7 with no excess noise beyond atom shot noise. The differential configuration maintains quantum-limited sensitivity in the presence of several radians of artificially injected laser phase noise per shot, which emulates the conditions expected in a very-long-baseline atom interferometer. We also demonstrate the recovery of coherent oscillatory signals across a broad frequency range under fully phase-randomized conditions, a capability that is inaccessible to a single interferometer operating in the same regime. These results provide an experimental validation of the noise-immune measurement principle underlying very-long-baseline atom interferometers and mark an important step towards next-generation quantum sensors for gravitational-wave detection and searches for ultralight dark matter 8,9 .
Gravitational waves and ultralight dark matter are among the most compelling frontiers in fundamental physics, motivating proposals for very-long-baseline atom interferometerssuch as AION1, MAGIS2, AICE3 and AEDGE4 that aim to detect at frequencies at which ground-based5 and space-borne6 laser interferometers lose sensitivity. Very-long-baseline atom interferometers look for signals by comparing the quantum phase evolution of widely separated atomic ensembles interrogated by a common laser. However, their performance depends critically on suppressing noise sources, particularly laser phase noise. The experimental validation of such noise rejection remains an important challenge. Here we demonstrate a prototype differential atom interferometer based on the single-photon clock transition of fermionic 87Sr. Thus, we obtain a gradiometer configuration with a species intrinsically suited to kilometre-scale and space-baseline operation. The instrument operates at the standard quantum limit7 with no excess noise beyond atom shot noise. The differential configuration maintains quantum-limited sensitivity in the presence of several radians of artificially injected laser phase noise per shot, which emulates the conditions expected in a very-long-baseline atom interferometer. We also demonstrate the recovery of coherent oscillatory signals across a broad frequency range under fully phase-randomized conditions, a capability that is inaccessible to a single interferometer operating in the same regime. These results provide an experimental validation of the noise-immune measurement principle underlying very-long-baseline atom interferometers and mark an important step towards next-generation quantum sensors for gravitational-wave detection and searches for ultralight dark matter8,9.
Abstract MAGIS-100 is a next-generation quantum sensor under construction at Fermilab that aims to explore fundamental physics with atom interferometry over a 100 m baseline. This novel detector will search for ultralight dark matter, test quantum mechanics in new regimes, and serve as a technology pathfinder for future gravitational wave detectors in a previously unexplored frequency band. It combines techniques demonstrated in state-of-the-art 10-meter-scale atom interferometers with the latest technological advances of the world’s best atomic clocks. MAGIS-100 will provide a development platform for a future kilometer-scale detector that would be sufficiently sensitive to detect gravitational waves from known sources. Here we present the science case for the MAGIS concept, review the operating principles of the detector, describe the instrument design, and study the detector systematics.
Advancing our knowledge of the universe increasingly relies on technologies capable of extremely precise measurement. Quantum sensors have emerged as promising tools for searching for new physics by pushing the boundaries of precision in measuring time, acceleration, and gravity. Two promising platforms are long-baseline atom interferometers and atomic clocks, both of which rely on cold atoms. This thesis lies at the intersection of cold-atom physics, quantum technology, and particle phenomenology. We report experimental progress from the AION project, a next-generation atom interferometer for the detection of ultra-light dark matter and mid-frequency gravitational waves. Within the collaboration, we present the first results from a red magneto-optical trap (MOT) for strontium-88 atoms. A seed–amplifier injection-locked laser system was developed to address the 1S0–3P1 transition at 689 nm, delivering 13.8 mW of light to the science chamber. Using this setup, we produced an atomic cloud at a temperature of (812 ± 4) nK in the narrowband red MOT, marking a critical milestone in the project. Secondly, the potential of next-generation atomic and molecular clocks in constraining theories that violate the weak equivalence principle (EP) is investigated. A search for variations in the electron–proton mass ratio is performed using publicly available data from UTC. A statistical framework is then developed to model clock noise and forecast sensitivity to signals arising in theories of dark matter, dark energy, unification, and other EP-violating scenarios, providing new and improved constraints. The framework is packaged into a tool that translates clock noise characteristics into constraints on fundamental physics theories. A preliminary study investigating the effect of data gaps in signal recovery shows that annual signals with amplitudes above 10⁻¹⁶ can be recovered even with up to 83% missing data.
This report presents the results of the 2012-2013 NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase 1 Atom Interferometry for Detection of Gravitational Waves project. The origin of this GW (Gravitational Wave) detection concept using atoms can be traced to theoretical work that first appeared in 2008 and also to a satellite mission-focused followup study that was done in 2011. The goal of the current project was to explore both theoretical and technical issues surrounding the implementation of this idea, as well as to begin performing proof-of-concept experiments to validate critical aspects of the proposal.The top level trade space for the detector design is driven by the strategy employed to mitigate laser frequency noise, which, if uncontrolled, can mask GW signatures. One of the advantages of the atom interferometric approach is the possibility of single baseline detection (Fig. 1.1), even in the presence of laser noise. This is enabled by the differential measurement between the two ensembles of atoms, which can result in substantial laser noise suppression. The details of this suppression depend on the atomic physics techniques used to implement the atom interferometry. Specifically, we considered the effect on noise suppression that results from using traditional two-photon Raman transitions (with alkali atoms) and also single-photon transitions (with alkaline earth-like atoms).The interferometers shown in Fig 1.1(b) take advantage of single-photon transitions (as opposed to traditional Raman transitions) because using light pulses from one direction at a time allows for near perfect common-mode cancellation of laser phase noise, even for long baselines. This calls for the use of atomic transitions with an (ideally large) optical energy level difference with a long (greater than 1 second) lifetime, such as high-transitions routinely used for optical atomic clocks in species like Sr, Ca and Yb. Notably, large momentum transfer (LMT) atom optics - and the sensitivity enhancement they confer – can still be realized by simply adding additional pairs of alternating pulses to each beam splitter process. Section 3 reports on the theoretical work we performed to justify this GW detection protocol using single-photon transitions. This approach represents a new method for GW detection using atoms that is distinct from the original proposal from 2008. At the system level, we evaluated three architectures, each of which implements a different solution to the laser frequency noise issue. The first two designs are based on two-photon Raman transitions with Rb atoms. One of these is a three-satellite, multiple baseline design while the other is a two-satellite, single baseline design. The third proposal is a two-satellite, single baseline design that uses single-photon transitions with Sr atoms. These three architectures are described in more detail in Section 2. There are a number of known technical issues that we have started to address using ground-based experiments. These issues include atom technology development needs such as, for example, lower ensemble temperature requirements and large momentum transfer (LMT) atom optics. To this end, we have built a 10-meter scale atom drop tower, where we can perform proof-of-principle demonstrations of the proposed AGIS detector in an environment that permits more than 2.5 seconds of free-fall time. This facility allows for demonstration of atom interferometry with long interrogation time (seconds) and large atom wavepacket
Abstract We characterize the performance of a gravimeter and a gravity gradiometer based on the 1S0–3P0 clock transition of strontium atoms. We use this new quantum sensor to measure the gravitational acceleration with a relative sensitivity of after 150 s of integration time, representing the first realisation of an atomic interferometry gravimeter based on a single-photon transition. Various noise contributions to the gravimeter are measured and characterized, with the current primary limitation to sensitivity seen to be the intrinsic noise of the interferometry laser itself. In a gravity gradiometer configuration, a differential phase sensitivity of 1.53 rad was achieved at an artificially introduced differential phase of rad. We experimentally investigated the effects of the contrast and visibility based on various parameters and achieved a total interferometry time of 30 ms, which is longer than previously reported for such interferometers. The characterization and determined limitations of the present apparatus employing 88Sr atoms provides a guidance for the future development of large-scale clock-transition gravimeters and gravity gradiometers with alkali-earth and alkali-earth-like atoms (e.g. 87Sr, Ca, Yb, Cd).
Atom interferometers (AIFs) are highly precise inertial sensors and are considered promising instruments for the detection of gravitational waves (GWs) and certain dark matter (DM) candidates in the mid-frequency band. While GW detection with AIFs was initially proposed for space-based experiments with baselines spanning thousands of kilometers, recent developments suggest that terrestrial setups with baselines of at least 100 meters may also be capable of detecting GWs. In this work, we analytically derive the GW phase response formula of a ground detector, find an additional term compared to the existing literature and check it our findings numerically. Based on this treatment, we analyze the optimal geometric parameters for earth-bound AIF experiments. Subsequently, we numerically simulate GW detection schemes for these optimized interferometers using an open-source Python algorithm. Numerical simulations of these schemes have are not available to the community, yet crucial for the accurate modeling of noise and non-trivial gravitational backgrounds.