Letter of Intent: AICE -- 100m Atom Interferometer Experiment at CERN
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: We propose an O(100)m Atom Interferometer (AI) experiment -- AICE -- to be installed against a wall of the PX46 access shaft to the LHC. This experiment would probe unexplored ranges of the possible couplings of bosonic ultralight dark matter (ULDM) to atomic constituents and undertake a pioneering search for gravitational waves (GWs) at frequencies intermediate between those to which existing and planned experiments are sensitive, among other fundamental physics studies. A conceptual feasibility study showed that this AI experiment could be isolated from the LHC by installing a shielding wall in the TX46 gallery, and surveyed issues related to the proximity of the LHC machine, finding no technical obstacles. A detailed technical implementation study has shown that the preparatory civil-engineering work, installation of bespoke radiation shielding, deployment of access-control systems and safety alarms, and installation of an elevator platform could be carried out during LS3, allowing installation and operation of the AICE detector to proceed during Run 4 without impacting HL-LHC operation. These studies have established that PX46 is a uniquely promising location for an AI experiment. We foresee that, if the CERN management encourages this Letter of Intent, a significant fraction of the Terrestrial Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometer (TVLBAI) Proto-Collaboration may wish to contribute to AICE.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Baynham, Charles, Bertoldi, Andrea, Blas, Diego, Buchmueller, Oliver, Calatroni, Sergio, Charmandaris, Vassilis, Chiofalo, Maria Luisa, Cladé, Pierre, Coleman, Jonathon, Di Pumpo, Fabio, Ellis, John, Gaaloul, Naceur, Guellati-Khelifa, Saïda, Harte, Tiffany, Hobson, Richard, Holynski, Michael, Lellouch, Samuel, Lombriser, Lucas, Asamar, Elias Lopez, Maggiore, Michele, McCabe, Christopher, Mitchell, Jeremiah, Rasel, Ernst M., Nieto, Federico Sanchez, Schleich, Wolfgang, Schlippert, Dennis, Schneider, Ulrich, Schramm, Steven, Soares-Santos, Marcelle, Tino, Guglielmo M., Tinsley, Jonathan N., Valenzuela, Tristan, van der Grinten, Maurits, von Klitzing, Wolf
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7081921022