Optical atomic clock aboard an Earth-orbiting space station (OACESS): enhancing searches for physics beyond the standard model in space

Abstract

We present a concept for a high-precision optical atomic clock (OAC) operating on an Earth-orbiting space station. This pathfinder science mission will compare the space-based OAC with one or more ultra-stable terrestrial OACs to search for space-time-dependent signatures of dark scalar fields that manifest as anomalies in the relative frequencies of station-based and ground-based clocks. This opens the possibility of probing models of new physics that are inaccessible to purely ground-based OAC experiments where a dark scalar field may potentially be strongly screened near Earth’s surface. This unique enhancement of sensitivity to potential dark matter candidates harnesses the potential of space-based OACs.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Nov 18, 2022
Source ID
10.1088/2058-9565/ac9f2b

Entities

People

  • Andrew Ludlow
  • Christoph Pyrlik
  • Dmitry Budker
  • Ingmari Tietje
  • Jason Williams
  • Jun Ye
  • Laura Sinclair
  • Leo Hollberg
  • Markus Krutzik
  • Nathan R. Newbury
  • Oliver Fartmann
  • Shimon Kolkowitz
  • Tigran Kalaydzhyan
  • Victor V. Flambaum
  • Vladimir Schkolnik
  • Yevgeny Stadnik

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • Australian Research Council
  • Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space
  • German Research Foundation
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • National Science Foundation
  • Office of Naval Research Global

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Satellites