Atomic clocks in space could detect gravitational waves – Physics World
Hamish Johnston
(Courtesy: iStockphoto/hh5800) A proposal for a gravitational-wave detector made of two space-based atomic clocks has been unveiled by physicists in the US. Just last week, a second detection was announced by LIGO from a different black-hole merger. The atoms are trapped within a 1D optical lattice that is a standing wave created by reflecting laser light from a mirror. In the proposal, this motion will be detected by using the atomic clock in one satellite – called “A” – to measure the frequency of its outgoing laser light. The atomic clock at satellite B will then measure the frequency of the incoming laser light from A.