The AICE Community Workshop 2026 will bring together members of the international atom interferometry, quantum sensing, particle physics, cosmology, gravitational physics, and precision-measurement communities to review the progress of the Atom Interferometer CERN Experiment (AICE), a proposed long-baseline atom interferometer facility at CERN:
https://cds.cern.ch/record/2941923
https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.11867
AICE is envisioned as a pioneering O(100 m) vertical atom interferometer facility at CERN, whose primary scientific goal is the exploration of the dark universe through searches for ultralight dark matter and related fundamental-physics phenomena using long-baseline quantum sensors. The facility will also enable precision measurements probing fundamental interactions and tests of gravity, while providing a pathfinder towards future gravitational-wave detection in the mid-frequency band.
AICE’s scientific programme therefore sits at the intersection of several communities, including particle physics, cosmology, atomic and molecular physics, quantum sensing, gravitation, and precision metrology. It represents a new type of large-scale quantum research infrastructure at CERN, connecting expertise from multiple disciplines around a common experimental platform for fundamental physics. It forms part of the broader international TVLBAI (Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry) roadmap for next-generation large-scale quantum detectors and future quantum observatories.
The workshop will take place at an important moment for the project, coinciding with the submission of the AICE Technical Proposal to CERN. It will inform CERN’s evaluation of the Technical Proposal and the strength of the strength of the international community preparing to build and exploit the facility. The meeting will discuss key aspects of the proposed facility, including its scientific programme, detector concept, infrastructure integration and implementation strategy, as well as the longer-term roadmap for large-scale atom interferometry at CERN and beyond.
The programme will include presentations and discussions on:
- the physics case for ultralight dark matter searches and other opportunities in fundamental physics, cosmology and gravitational physics,
- the status of the AICE Technical Proposal and CERN integration studies,
- enabling detector technologies and ongoing R&D activities,
- potential contributions to AICE by interested institutions and funding agencies,
- the broader TVLBAI international roadmap and future perspectives for large-scale quantum infrastructures and quantum observatories.
Further details, including the agenda and detailed logistics information, will be added in due course.