Workshop on Atomic Experiments for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration

22 Jul 2019, 08:00 → 23 Jul 2019, 22:50 Europe/Zurich

222-R-001 (CERN)

Albert De Roeck (CERN), John Ellis, Oliver Buchmuller (Imperial College (GB))

The purpose of this informal workshop is to review the landscape of cold atom technologies being developed to explore of dark sector physics - especially light dark matter, gravitational effects - particularly gravitational waves in the mid-frequency band, and searches for new fundamental interactions - which offer several options for ground-breaking discoveries. 

One important goal of the workshop will be to assemble a White Paper outlining the physics case for a future space-based cold atom detector in response to the ESA Voyager 2050 call [1] (deadline August 5th).

This White Paper will propose a space interferometer experiment using cold atoms to detect ultra-light dark matter, and measure gravitational waves in the frequency range between the most sensitive ranges of the LISA and LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA/Einstein Telescope experiments. This experiment, called Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration (AEDGE), would build upon the technologies now being developed for terrestrial experiments using cold atoms, and would benefit from the space experience obtained with LISA and cold atom experiments on the ISS. AEDGE would complement other planned searches for dark matter, and would have many synergies with other gravitational wave detectors.

The Workshop will focus on the physics opportunities and connections between the fundamental research areas of particle physics and gravitational physics using technologies based on cold atom expertise. In this context, we will review several terrestrial atom interferometer projects to demonstrate the capabilities of different technologies, which are under construction, planned or proposed, including those listed below [2].

To make the strongest possible science case, we aim to establish a diverse and large support across communities. This Workshop will be an opportunity to bring together representatives of the cold atom, particle physics and gravitational communities in Europe, to work towards a strong science case that will build the foundation for future space-based as well as terrestrial projects.

Workshop Organisers:

Kai Bongs(CA), 

Philippe Bouyer(CA), 

Oliver Buchmueller(PP), 

Albert De Roeck(PP), 

John Ellis(PP, Theory), 

Peter Graham (CA, Theory), 

Jason Hogan (CA),

Wolf von Klitzing(CA), 

Guglielmo Tino(CA)

and AtomQT [https://atomqt.eu]

PP=Particle Physics
CA=Cold Atoms 

[1] https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/voyage-2050



[2]:

The Matter-wave laser Interferometric Gravitation Antenna (MIGA) Experiment:

http://miga-project.org/.

MIGA aims at demonstrating precision measurements of gravity with cold atom sensors in a large-scale instrument and at studying associated applications in geosciences and fundamental physics. In particular, it will assess future potential applications of atom interferometry to gravitational wave detection in the mid-frequency band between 0.1 and 10 Hz, intermediate between LISA and LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA/INDIGO/ET.



The MAGIA-Advanced

Project funded by the Italian Ministry for Research and Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare for a large scale atom interferometer based on ultracold Rb and Sr atoms. In additions to lab R&D activity, the team is investigating the possibility of a 100-300 m atom interferometer to be installed in a vertical shaft on Sardinia island. Main goals are GW observation and search for DM.



The Zhaoshan long-baseline Atom Interferometer Gravitation Antenna (ZAIGA) 

https://arxiv.org/pdf/1903.09288.pdf

ZAIGA is an underground laser-linked interferometer facility under construction near Wuhan, China. It has an equilateral triangle configuration with two 1-km-apart atom interferometers in each arm,  a 300-meter vertical tunnel equipped with an atom fountain and atomic clocks, and 1-km-arm-length optical clocks linked by locked lasers. It is designed for experimental research on gravitation and related problems including gravitational wave detection and high-precision tests of the equivalence principle.



The Matter-wave Atomic Gradiometer Interferometric Sensor (MAGIS) project

https://arxiv.org/pdf/1812.00482.pdf

The MAGIS project in the US plans a series of interferometers using cold atoms with progressively increasing baselines of 10m, 100m, and 1km. The first step is funded and under construction at Stanford, the second step is being prepared at Fermilab, and the third step is planned for the Sanford Underground Research Facility.

ELGAR

ELGAR is a European initiative to build a terrestrial infrastructure for cold atoms for gravitational wave detection with potential applications also for dark matter. Configurations similar to MAGIS/AION are included in the proposal, and a White Paper about this infrastructure is being prepared [https://indico.obspm.fr/event/58/contributions/214/attachments/88/98/Slides-bouyer2018_06_21_MIGA_GDR.pdf]

The UK Atom Interferometry Observatory and Network (AION) project

http://www.hep.ph.ic.ac.uk/AION-Project/

The AION project in the UK proposes a series of atom interferometers with baselines of 10m, 100m, and 1km, similar to MAGIS. The first stage would be located in Oxford, with sites for the subsequent steps awaiting study.

The Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL)

TheBECCAL is a bilateral project of NASA and DLR for a multi-purpose facility on the international space station, based in the heritage of drop tower (QUANTUS) and sounding rocket experiments (MAIUS). It will enable a variety of experiments in atom optics and atom interferometery to cover a broad spectrum ranging from fundamental physics to studies for applications in earth observation. It is intended as a pathfinder for future space missions.

The Space Atomic Gravity Explorer (SAGE) 

http://arxiv.org/abs/1907.03867

The SAGE mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2016 in response to a Call for “New Ideas” (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/new-scientific-ideas). It has the scientific objective to investigate Gravitational Waves, Dark Matter, and other fundamental aspects of gravity as well as the connection between gravitational physics and quantum physics combining quantum sensing and quantum communication based on recent impressive advances in quantum technologies for atom interferometers, optical clocks, microwave and optical links.

UPDATE: 26/07/2021 

In reference to cold atom experiments in space community response to the final recommendations of the Voyage 2050 Senior Science Committee:

Adding letter and list of registered co-signatories of the community letter to ESA’s Director of Science, Guenther Hasinger. 

Community letter to ESA’s Director of Science, Guenther Hasinger - 26072021.pdf

Registered-co-signatories-of-the-community-letter-to-ESAs-Director-of-Science-Guenther-Hasinger-RegistrantsBook-24072021.pdf

Monday 22 July

10:30 → 11:00 Welcome Coffee

11:00 → 11:15 Welcome and Introduction

11:15 → 12:30 Towards Space: Review of Terrestrial Projects

11:15 The ZAIGA Experiment

The Zhaoshan long-baseline Atom Interferometer Gravitation Antenna (ZAIGA) is an underground laser-linked interferometer facility under construction near Wuhan, China. It has an equilateral triangle configuration with two 1-km-apart atom interferometers in each arm, a 300-meter vertical tunnel equipped with an atom fountain and atomic clocks, and 1-km-arm-length optical clocks linked by locked lasers. It is designed for experimental research on gravitation and related problems including gravitational wave detection and high-precision tests of the equivalence principle.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1903.09288.pdf

Speaker: Mingsheng Zhan (Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics)

20190722 AEDGE ZAIGA.pdf

20190722 AEDGE ZAIGA.pdf

20190722 AEDGE ZAIGA.pdf

20190722 AEDGE ZAIGA.pdf

20190722 AEDGE ZAIGA.pdf

20190722 AEDGE ZAIGA.pdf

20190722 AEDGE ZAIGA.pptx

11:50 The MIGA Experiment:

The Matter-wave laser Interferometric Gravitation Antenna (MIGA) Experiment aims at demonstrating precision measurements of gravity with cold atom sensors in a large-scale instrument and at studying associated applications in geosciences and fundamental physics. In particular, it will assess future potential applications of atom interferometry to gravitational wave detection in the mid-frequency band between 0.1 and 10 Hz, intermediate between LISA and LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA/INDIGO/ET. http://miga-project.org/.

Speaker: Dylan O Sabulsky (Institut d'Optique d'Aquitaine)

sabulsky_MIGA_CERN_2019.pdf

12:30 → 13:30 Lunch

13:30 → 15:15 Towards Space: Review of Terrestrial Projects

13:30 The MAGIA-Advanced Experiment

The MAGIA-Advanced Experiment is a project funded by the Italian Ministry for Research and Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare for a large scale atom interferometer based on ultracold Rb and Sr atoms. In additions to lab R&D activity, the team is investigating the possibility of a 100-300 m atom interferometer to be installed in a vertical shaft on Sardinia island. Main goals are GW observation and search for DM.

Speaker: Guglielmo Maria Tino (INFN - National Institute for Nuclear Physics)

2019.07.22_Tino_1_MAGIA-Adv_AEDGE-WS.pdf

14:05 The MAGIS Project

The Matter-wave Atomic Gradiometer Interferometric Sensor (MAGIS) project in the US plans a series of interferometers using cold atoms with progressively increasing baselines of 10m, 100m, and 1km. The first step is funded and under construction at Stanford, the second step is being prepared at Fermilab, and the third step is planned for the Sanford Underground Research Facility. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1812.00482.pdf

Speaker: Jonathon Coleman (Physics Dept, University of Liverpool)

MAGIS_CERN_July_2019.pdf

14:40 The AION Project

The UK Atom Interferometry Observatory and Network (AION) project in the UK proposes a series of atom interferometers with baselines of 10m, 100m, and 1km, similar to MAGIS. The first stage would be located in Oxford, with sites for the subsequent steps awaiting study. http://www.hep.ph.ic.ac.uk/AION-Project/

Speaker: Oliver Buchmuller (Imperial College (GB))

AION-AEDGE-Workshop-CERN-July22.pdf

AION-AEDGE-Workshop-CERN-July22.pptx

15:15 → 15:45 Coffee Break

15:45 → 17:25 Towards Space: Review of Terrestrial Projects

15:45 The ELGAR Project

ELGAR is a European initiative to build a terrestrial infrastructure for cold atoms for gravitational wave detection with potential applications also for dark matter. Configurations similar to MAGIS/AION are included in the proposal, and a White Paper about this infrastructure is being prepared [https://indico.obspm.fr/event/58/contributions/214/attachments/88/98/Slides-bouyer2018_06_21_MIGA_GDR.pdf]

Speaker: Dylan O Sabulsky (Institut d'Optique d'Aquitaine)

sabulsky_ELGAR_CERN_2019.pdf

16:15 Start of Space Mission Review -- continues on Day 2

16:20 The SAGE Mission

The Space Atomic Gravity Explorer (SAGE) mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2016 in response to a Call for “New Ideas” (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/new-scientific-ideas). It has the scientific objective to investigate Gravitational Waves, Dark Matter, and other fundamental aspects of gravity as well as the connection between gravitational physics and quantum physics combining quantum sensing and quantum communication based on recent impressive advances in quantum technologies for atom interferometers, optical clocks, microwave and optical links.

Speaker: Guglielmo Maria Tino (INFN - National Institute for Nuclear Physics)

2019.07.22_Tino_2_SAGE_AEDGE-WS.pdf

16:55 Discussion and Preparation for Day 2

19:00 → 20:00 Co-signing community letter to ESA’s Director of Science, Guenther Hasinger

List of people co-signing the community letter to ESA’s Director of Science, Guenther Hasinger: Status 22/07/2021

Registered co-signatories of the community letter to ESA’s Director of Science, Guenther Hasinger - RegistrantsBook - 24072021.pdf

Tuesday 23 July

09:15 → 11:30 Towards the White Paper: Other Relevant Space Missions

09:15 Morning Coffee

09:45 Space Optical Clock mission

Speaker: Stephan Schiller (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)

Schiller - Presentation ISOC - AEDGE - CERN 30 min_v2.pdf

10:20 The BECCAL Project

The Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL) is a bilateral project of NASA and DLR for a multi-purpose facility on the international space station, based in the heritage of drop tower (QUANTUS) and sounding rocket experiments (MAIUS). It will enable a variety of experiments in atom optics and atom interferometery to cover a broad spectrum ranging from fundamental physics to studies for applications in earth observation. It is intended as a pathfinder for future space missions:

Speaker: Christian Schubert (Leibniz Universität Hannover)

10:55 The STE-QUEST Mission

Speaker: Aurelien Hees (SYRTE - Paris Observatory)

Hees_CERN.pdf

11:30 → 12:35 White Paper: The Physics Case of AEDGE

11:30 Introduction to AEDGE White Paper Physics Case

Speaker: Oliver Buchmuller (Imperial College (GB))

AEDGE-White-Paper-Intro.pdf

AEDGE-White-Paper-Intro.pptx

11:50 AEDGE: Gravitational Waves

Speaker: Marek Lewicki (Kings College London)

MLewicki_AEDGEtalk.pdf

12:15 AEDGE: Dark Matter

Speaker: Christopher McCabe (King's College London)

DM_AEDGE.pdf

12:35 → 12:50 Open Session - Closing

Convener: Jonathan R. Ellis (University of London (GB))

AEDGEClosingRemarks.pdf

AEDGEClosingRemarks.pptx

12:50 → 13:30 Lunch

13:30 → 15:30 White Paper Authors Meeting (closed session)