Professor Peter Graham
Stanford University
Gravitational Wave Detection with Atomic Interferometry
Location: 1080 Physics Research Building
Faculty Host: Stuart Raby
Abstract: I will discuss the use of atomic interferometry for gravitational wave detection. Atomic interferometry is based on technology similar to that of optical atomic clocks, which hold the world record for precision timing. An atom interferometer can provide both stable proof masses and a sensitive measurement of the light travel time between them. Our proposed techniques appear promising for detecting gravitational waves in the 0.01 - 10 Hz frequency band. The MAGIS-100 detector, currently under construction at Fermilab, will be a demonstrator for future terrestrial- and satellite-based detectors aiming to cover this range. The ability to observe this band of the gravitational spectrum will provide access to many important science targets, for example the ability to predict mergers in advance and localize them on the sky with high precision or the ability to observe white dwarf binary mergers. These atomic detectors can also detect certain types of dark matter.
Bio: Peter Graham received his Bachelor’s from Harvard and Ph.D. from Stanford. He has been on the faculty at Stanford since 2010. He is broadly interested in particle physics and cosmology and often thinks about new measurement strategies for physics beyond the Standard Model.