Cold Atom Quantum Technology to Explore Fundamental Physics

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• Oliver Buchmueller (Imperial College London & Oxford University)
• Wednesday 03 December 2025, 16:15-17:15
• Ray Dolby Auditorium, Ray Dolby Centre, Cavendish Laboratory, JJ Thomson Avenue, CB3 0US.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Andrea Pizzi.

In this presentation, I will outline the scientific opportunities enabled by a multi-stage programme based on cold-atom quantum technology. The central objectives of this programme include the search for ultra-light dark matter, the exploration of gravitational waves in the mid-frequency band—bridging the sensitivity gap between LISA and ground-based detectors such as LIGO , Virgo, KAGRA , INDIGO, the Einstein Telescope, and Cosmic Explorer—and the investigation of other frontiers in fundamental physics. This research will complement ongoing dark-matter searches, probe mergers involving intermediate-mass black holes, and shed light on early-universe cosmology. I will particularly focus on major initiatives in this field, including the AION project in the UK and the international Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry (TVLBAI) proto-collaboration, which is now formally established. TVLBAI aims to develop a global network of large-scale atom interferometers designed to detect ultra-light dark matter and gravitational waves, with the long-term goal of deploying kilometre-scale detectors by the mid-2030s. The proto-collaboration is currently defining a detailed scientific and technological roadmap, identifying the key milestones required to realise these next-generation quantum detectors.

If you wish to meet the speaker, please contact ap2076@cam.ac.uk to be added to their visit schedule.

This talk is part of the Cavendish Quantum Colloquium series.

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