About us

What is Atom Interferometry?

Atom interferometry uses the quantum nature of atoms to make extremely precise measurements. When atoms are cooled to near absolute zero, they behave like waves rather than particles. By splitting these atomic waves and later recombining them, we can measure tiny changes in gravity, acceleration, and time with unprecedented precision.

Our Science Goals

Searching for Dark Matter

We know that about 85% of the matter in the universe is “dark matter” — it doesn’t emit or absorb light, but we can detect its gravitational effects on galaxies. One possibility is that dark matter consists of very light particles that behave like waves oscillating through space.

Our atom interferometers can detect these oscillations by looking for tiny variations in fundamental constants like the fine structure constant and the proton-to-electron mass ratio.

Listening for Gravitational Waves

Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime caused by massive objects accelerating — like black holes colliding or neutron stars merging. LIGO and Virgo detect waves in the 10-1000 Hz range, while the future LISA space mission will detect waves around 0.001 Hz.

TVLBAI detectors will fill the gap in between, sensitive to gravitational waves in the 0.01-1 Hz “deci-Hertz” band. This opens a new window on astrophysical sources invisible to other detectors.

How It Works

1. Cool atoms to near absolute zero using lasers
2. Launch them upward in a tall vacuum tower
3. Split each atom’s wave function using laser pulses
4. Let them fall for several seconds, accumulating phase
5. Recombine the atomic waves and measure the interference pattern

The interference pattern encodes information about any gravitational waves or dark matter fields the atoms encountered during their fall.

Workshop History

We hold annual workshops bringing together experts from around the world:

For Students

PhD students are encouraged to participate in our workshops. We have provided funding for poster session presentations at previous workshops, with support of approximately €250 per selected student.

See our Contact page for information about upcoming workshops.