TVLBAI Collaboration
Projects
The TVLBAI collaboration brings together several major atom interferometry projects worldwide. Each advances toward kilometre-scale detectors for gravitational wave detection and dark matter searches.
AION (UK)
Atom Interferometer Observatory and Network
AION is a UK-based research infrastructure developing scalable atom interferometry technology through progressively larger instruments. The programme uses strontium atoms with single-photon clock transitions for enhanced sensitivity.
Phases
| Stage | Scale | Location | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| AION-10 | 10 m | Oxford | 2024–2025 |
| AION-100 | 100 m | Boulby / CERN | 2027–2030s |
| AION-km | 1 km | TBD | mid-to-late 2030s |
| AEDGE | >1000 km | Space | 2045+ (proposed concept, timeline speculative) |
Science Goals
- Improve ultralight dark matter sensitivity by orders of magnitude
- Detect gravitational waves in the 0.1–1 Hz band
- Observe intermediate-mass black hole mergers
- Probe phase transitions in the early universe
Key Institutions
Imperial College London • University of Oxford • University of Birmingham • University of Cambridge • University of Liverpool • King’s College London • RAL Space
MAGIS-100 (USA)
Matter-wave Atomic Gradiometer Interferometric Sensor
MAGIS-100 is a 100-metre vertical atom interferometer under construction at Fermilab. It uses three strontium atom sources along a vertical baseline in the MINOS access shaft, enabling precise differential measurements.
Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Baseline | ~100 m vertical |
| Sections | 17 modular sections (~5.7 m each) |
| Atom sources | 3 (top, middle, bottom) |
| Lasers | 22 total |
Science Goals
- Search for scalar dark matter fields
- Detect gravitational waves from intermediate-mass black holes
- Develop gravity gradient noise correction techniques
- Demonstrate technology for future MAGIS-km detector
Key Institutions
Stanford University • Northwestern University • Fermilab • Johns Hopkins University
MIGA (France)
Matter-wave laser Interferometric Gravitation Antenna
MIGA is a large-scale horizontal gravity antenna located at the Laboratoire Souterrain à Bas Bruit (LSBB), a former military nuclear command centre 500 m deep inside mountains in southeastern France. It demonstrates low-frequency gravitational wave detection using cavity-enhanced atom interferometry.
Configuration
- Geometry: 150 m array of three rubidium atom interferometers
- Environment: Ultra-low seismic and electromagnetic noise
- Technology: Cavity-enhanced Bragg pulses for atom manipulation
Science Goals
- Target strain sensitivity: $2 \times 10^{-13} / \sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ at 2 Hz
- Study gravity gradient noise and mitigation strategies
- Develop Large Momentum Transfer techniques ($2\times100$ photon transitions)
- Pave the way for ELGAR (European km-scale detector)
Key Institutions
CNRS / Institut d’Optique • LP2N Bordeaux • LSBB
VLBAI (Germany)
Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometry Facility
The VLBAI facility in Hannover enables ground-based atom interferometry with both rubidium and ytterbium atoms using a 10 m free-fall distance. It serves as a platform for high-precision gravimetry and tests of fundamental physics.
Technical Features
- 10 m vertical ultra-high vacuum tube
- Dual-species operation (Rb and Yb)
- High-performance magnetic shielding (<2.5 nT/m gradients)
- 6-DOF seismic attenuation system
Science Goals
| Configuration | Sensitivity |
|---|---|
| Simple drop | 1.7 nm/s$^2$ at 1 s |
| Advanced launch | 40 pm/s$^2$ at 1 s |
| Gradiometric | $5\times 10^{-10}$ /s$^2$ |
- Target: Test universality of free fall to Eötvös ratio $< 10^{-13}$
- Probe quantum mechanics with macroscopic superpositions
- Develop quantum clock interferometry techniques
Key Institutions
Leibniz University Hannover • DLR Institute for Quantum Technologies
ZAIGA (China)
Zhaoshan long-baseline Atom Interferometer Gravitation Antenna
ZAIGA combines vertical and horizontal detector configurations in a major underground facility near Wuhan. It is China’s comprehensive national programme for large-scale atom interferometry.
Phases
| Phase | Timeline | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Phase I | Now–2027 | 300 m vertical + 1.4 km horizontal |
| Phase II | 2027–2035 | 3× 1 km triangular array |
| Phase III | After 2035 | Extension to 3 km |
Current Achievements (Wuhan 10 m Interferometer)
- Equivalence principle test: $3\times 10^{-8}$ accuracy
- Free evolution time: 2.6 s (longest in laboratory)
- Gravity measurement precision: $4.5\times 10^{-11}$ g per shot
- 8-photon Large Momentum Transfer demonstrated
Science Goals
- Tests of Einstein Equivalence Principle
- Gravitational wave detection
- Ultralight dark matter searches
- Geoscience applications (earthquakes, groundwater, geodesy)
Key Institutions
Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics
Future Outlook
These prototype detectors are developing the technology and expertise for kilometre-scale atom interferometers operating in the mid-2030s. Together, they form a global network advancing toward:
- AION-km: UK-based kilometre-scale detector
- MAGIS-km: US detector at SURF
- ELGAR: European 10+ km detector based on MIGA technology
- ZAIGA Phase III: 3 km detector in China
The TVLBAI collaboration coordinates these efforts, sharing technology developments and working toward compatible detector networks for greater scientific impact.
Looking beyond terrestrial detectors, the AEDGE White Paper outlines the vision for space-based atom interferometry experiments. AEDGE (Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration) would use cold atoms in space to search for ultra-light dark matter and detect gravitational waves in frequency ranges complementary to both LISA and ground-based detectors, the ultimate extension of this technology.