International Journal of Modern Physics D

Space-based instruments provide new and, in some cases, unique opportunities to search for dark matter. In particular, if dark matter comprises sterile neutrinos, the X-ray detection of their decay line is the most promising strategy for discovery. Sterile neutrinos with masses in the keV range could solve several long-standing astrophysical puzzles, from supernova asymmetries and the pulsar kicks to star formation, reionization, and baryogenesis. The best current limits on sterile neutrinos come from Chandra and XMM-Newton. Future advances can be achieved with a high-resolution X-ray spectrometry in space.

Discovering an electron electric dipole moment (e-EDM) would uncover new physics requiring an extension of the Standard Model. e-EDMs, large enough to be discovered by new experiments are now common predictions in extensions of the Standard Model, including extensions that describe baryogenesis, dark matter, and neutrino mass.

A cesium slow-atom e-EDM experiment (which is similar to an atomic clock) can improve the sensitivity to the e-EDM. And, as with an atomic clock, it could be more sensitive in microgravity than on Earth. As a first step an Earth-based demonstration Cs fountain e-EDM experiment has been carried out at LBNL.

The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), to be launched in the fall of 2007, will measure the spectra of distant extragalactic sources of high energy γ-rays, particularly active galactic nuclei and γ-ray bursts. GLAST can look for energy-dependent γ-ray propagation effects from such sources as a signal of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV). These sources should also exhibit the high energy cutoffs predicted to be the result of intergalactic annihilation interactions with low energy photons having a flux level as determined by various astronomical observations. Such annihilations result in electron–positron pair production above a threshold energy given by 2m_e in the center-of-momentum frame of the system, assuming Lorentz invariance. If Lorentz invariance is violated, this threshold can be significantly raised, changing the predicted absorption turnover in the observed spectrum of the sources. Stecker and Glashow have shown that the existence of such absorption features in the spectra of extragalactic sources puts constraints on LIV. Such constraints have important implications for some quantum gravity and large extra dimension models. Future spaceborne detectors dedicated to measuring γ-ray polarization can look for birefringence effects as a possible signal of loop quantum gravity.

As shown by Coleman and Glashow, a much smaller amount of LIV has potential implications for possibly suppressing the "GZK cutoff" predicted to be caused by the interactions of cosmic rays having multijoule energies with photons of the 2.7 K cosmic background radiation in intergalactic space. Owing to the rarity of such ultrahigh energy cosmic rays, their spectra are best studied by a UV-sensitive satellite detector which looks down on a large volume of the Earth's atmosphere to study the nitrogen fluorescence tracks of giant air showers produced by these ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. We discuss here, in particular, a two-satellite mission called OWL, which would be suited for making such studies.

Spontaneous breaking of Lorentz symmetry has been suggested as a possible mechanism that might occur in the context of a fundamental Planck-scale theory, such as string theory or a quantum theory of gravity. However, if Lorentz symmetry is spontaneously broken, two sets of questions immediately arise: What is the fate of the Nambu–Goldstone (NG) modes, and can a Higgs mechanism occur? A brief summary of some recent work looking at these questions is presented here.

We first show that the MOND concept is very unlikely: nonbaryonic dark matter exists. We then discuss dwarf special galaxies that in some cases appear to be nearly pure dark matter systems. The search for dark matter particles can be carried out from space (sterile neutrinos neutralino annihilation) or on the Earth (direct detection). We describe progress in these areas and focus on the progress of the ZEPLIN II detector now taking data.^1,2.

Nature accelerates cosmic particles to energies as high as 10²⁰ eV. The rates for neutrino-initiated quasi-horizontal air showers (HASs) and upgoing air showers (UASs) have different dependences on σ_{ν N}. Therefore, a measurement of HAS and UAS rates would allow an inference of σ_{ν N} at energies far beyond what is conceivable with terrestrial accelerators. At a minimum, such a measurement provides a microscope/telescope for QCD evolution. More ambitiously, such a measurement may reveal energy thresholds of completely new physics. The feasibility of this measurement is examined. Favorable conclusions result, especially for proposed space-based observatories. The latter benefit from a larger field of view and from a UAS rate enhanced by over oceans compared to over land.

In recent years the possibility has been raised of Lorentz invariance violations arising from physics beyond the Standard Model. Some of these effects manifest themselves as small anisotropies in the velocity of light, c. By comparing the resonant frequencies of cavity modes with different spatial alignments, limits on the order δ c/c < 10^-15 have been set and some further improvement can be expected. However, the largest Lorentz violations originating at the Planck scale are expected to manifest themselves as a fractional frequency variation at the 10^-17 level in the absence of suppression factors. Space experiments have been proposed to approach the 10^-18 level. Here we explore the possibilities for pushing further and show that it is possible in principle to reach well into the 10^-20 range with existing technology. This could be done in a very quiet cryogenic environment, such as the drag-free orbiter being developed for the Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP).

Observations of the Milky Way by the SPI/INTEGRAL satellite have confirmed the presence of a strong 511 keV gamma ray line emission from the bulge, which requires an intense source of positrons in the galactic center. These observations are hard to account for by conventional astrophysical scenarios, whereas other proposals, such as light DM, face stringent constraints from the diffuse gamma ray background. Here we suggest that light superconducting strings could be the source of the observed 511 keV emission. The associated particle physics, at the ~ 1 TeV scale, is within the reach of planned accelerator experiments, while the distinguishing spatial distribution, proportional to the galactic magnetic field, could be mapped by SPI or by future, more sensitive satellite missions.

The Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) has been used and proposed often to read out low-temperature detectors for astronomical instruments. A multiplexed SQUID readout for currently envisioned astronomical detector arrays, which will have tens of thousands of pixels, is still challenging with the present technology. We present a new, advanced multiplexing concept and its prototype development that will allow for the readout of 1,000–10,000 detectors with only three pairs of wires and a single microwave coaxial cable.

In my talk at the workshop on fundamental physics in space I described the nanokelvin revolution which has taken place in atomic physics. Nanokelvin temperatures have given us access to new physical phenomena including Bose–Einstein condensation, quantum reflection, and fermionic superfluidity in a gas. They also enabled new techniques of preparing and manipulating cold atoms. At low temperatures, only very weak forces are needed to control the motion of atoms. This gave rise to the development of miniaturized setups including atom chips. In Earth-based experiments, gravitational forces are dominant unless they are compensated by optical and magnetic forces.

The following text describes the work which I used to illustrate the nanokelvin revolution in atomic physics. Strongest emphasis is given to superfluidity in fermionic atoms. This is a prime example of how ultracold atoms are used to create well-controlled strongly interacting systems and obtain new insight into many-body physics.

In this article we present actual projects concerning high resolution measurements developed for future space missions based on ultracold atoms at the Institut für Quantenoptik (IQ) of the University of Hannover. This work involves the realization of a Bose–Einstein condensate in a microgravitational environment and of an inertial atomic quantum sensor.

Atomic quantum sensors are a major breakthrough in the technology of time and frequency standards as well as ultraprecise sensing and monitoring of accelerations and rotations. They apply a new kind of optics based on matter waves. Today, atomic clocks are the standard for time and frequency measurement at the highest precisions. Inertial and rotational sensors using atom interferometers have already shown similar potential for replacing state-of-the-art sensors in other fields. With Bose–Einstein condensates, also referred as atom lasers, the traditional experiments with atom interferometers can be greatly improved. Testing of fundamental principles, studies of atomic properties, applications as inertial sensors, and measurements of fundamental constants can benefit from the brightness (intensity and small momentum spread) of these coherent sources. In addition, the coherence properties of condensates may allow BEC-based atom interferometers to approach the Heisenberg detection limit. This corresponds to a measurement precision which scales like 1/N for N atoms and not like as for independent measurements on N atoms. We present here the recent progress toward the acheivement of new coherent atomic sources, i.e. atom lasers, that will be use in space-based atom interferometers. We introduce new concepts of atom accelerometers and gyrometers that take advantage of the high collimation and coherence properties of atoms lasers and report on the development of a 0-g coherent atom interferometer (ICE) that will be used to test the ultimate performances of atom accelerometers in space.

Weightlessness promises to substantially extend the science of quantum gases toward presently inaccessible regimes of low temperatures, macroscopic dimensions of coherent matter waves, and enhanced duration of unperturbed evolution. With the long-term goal of studying cold quantum gases on a space platform, we currently focus on the implementation of an ⁸⁷Rb Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) experiment under microgravity conditions at the ZARM drop tower in Bremen (Germany). Special challenges in the construction of the experimental setup are posed by a low volume of the drop capsule (< 1 m³) as well as critical vibrations during capsule release and peak decelerations of up to 50 g during recapture at the bottom of the tower. All mechanical and electronic components have thus been designed with stringent demands on miniaturization, mechanical stability and reliability. Additionally, the system provides extensive remote control capabilities as it is not manually accessible in the tower two hours before and during the drop. We present the robust system and show results from first tests at the drop tower.

Time is the most basic notion in physics. Correspondingly, clocks are the most basic tool for the exploration of physical laws. We show that most of the fundamental physical principles and laws valid in today's description of physical phenomena are related to clocks. Clocks are an almost universal tool for exploring the fundamental structure of theories related to relativity. We describe this structure and give examples where violations of standard physics are predicted and, thus, may be important in the search for a theory of quantum gravity. After stressing the importance for future precise clock experiments to be performed in space, we refer to the OPTIS mission, to which another article in this issue is devoted. It is also outlined that clocks are not only important for fundamental tests but at the same time are also indispensable for practical purposes like navigation, Earth sciences, metrology, etc.

An overview of space tests searching for small deviations from special relativity arising at the Planck scale is given. Potential high-sensitivity space-based experiments include ones with atomic clocks, masers, and electromagnetic cavities. We show that a significant portion of the coefficient space in the Standard Model extension, a framework that covers the full spectrum of possible effects, can be accessed using space tests. Some remarks on Lorentz violation in the gravitational sector are also given.

Ultracold atoms and molecules provide ideal stages for precision tests of fundamental physics. With microkelvin neutral strontium atoms confined in an optical lattice, we have achieved a fractional resolution of 4 × 10^-15 on the ¹S₀–³P₀ doubly forbidden ⁸⁷Sr clock transition at 698 nm. Measurements of the clock line shifts as a function of experimental parameters indicate systematic errors below the 10^-15 level. The ultrahigh spectral resolution permits resolving the nuclear spin states of the clock transition at small magnetic fields, leading to measurements of the ³P₀ magnetic moment and metastable lifetime. In addition, photoassociation spectroscopy performed on the narrow ¹S₀–³P₁ transition of ⁸⁸Sr shows promise for efficient optical tuning of the ground state scattering length and production of ultracold ground state molecules. Lattice-confined Sr₂ molecules are suitable for constraining the time variation of the proton–electron mass ratio. In a separate experiment, cold, stable, ground state polar molecules are produced from Stark decelerators. These cold samples have enabled an order-of-magnitude improvement in the measurement precision of ground state, Λ doublet microwave transitions in the OH molecule. Comparing the laboratory results to those from OH megamasers in interstellar space will allow a sensitivity of 10^-6 for measuring the potential time variation of the fundamental fine structure constant Δα/α over 10¹⁰ years. These results have also led to improved understandings of the molecular structure. The study of the low magnetic field behavior of OH in its ²Π_3/2 ro-vibronic ground state precisely determines a differential Landé g factor between opposite parity components of the Λ doublet.

We present a review of our clock science conducted under the NASA Microgravity Fundamental Physics program. Our work has led to the development of rubidium atomic clocks, designs for ground- and space-based clocks that juggle atoms to achieve ultrahigh stability and accuracy, improved microwave cavities for atomic clocks, and elucidation of new systematic errors such as the atomic recoil from microwave photons. High stability clocks can be used for precise tests of fundamental physics and accurate deep-space navigation.

Clocks are an almost universal tool for exploring the fundamental structure of theories related to relativity. For future clock experiments, it is important for them to be performed in space. One mission which has the capability to perform and improve all relativity tests based on clocks by several orders of magnitude is OPTIS. These tests consist of (i) tests of the isotropy of light propagation (from which information about the matter sector which the optical resonators are made of can also be drawn), (ii) tests of the constancy of the speed of light, (iii) tests of the universality of the gravitational redshift by comparing clocks based on light propagation, like light clocks and various atomic clocks, (iv) time dilation based on the Doppler effect, (v) measuring the absolute gravitational redshift, (vi) measuring the perihelion advance of the satellite's orbit by using very precise tracking techniques, (vii) measuring the Lense–Thirring effect, and (viii) testing Newton's gravitational potential law on the scale of Earth-bound satellites. The corresponding tests are not only important for fundamental physics but also indispensable for practical purposes like navigation, Earth sciences, metrology, etc.

Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) is a mission in fundamental physics that will operate a new generation of atomic clocks in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. Fractional frequency stability and accuracy of a few parts in 10¹⁶ will be achieved. The on-board time base, distributed on the Earth via a microwave link, will be used to perform space-to-ground as well as ground-to-ground comparisons of atomic frequency standards. Based on these comparisons, ACES will perform fundamental physics tests (Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, the search for drift of fundamental constants, the Standard Model extension and tests of string theories) and develop applications in time and frequency metrology, time scales, geodesy, global positioning and navigation. After an overview of the mission concept and its scientific objectives, the present status of ACES instruments and subsystems will be discussed.

We will describe a space mission study based on three high-precision atomic clocks, flying to within six solar radii of the Sun, for a test of the possible variation of the fine structure constant, α. The three clocks are based on transitions in three different atomic species. Measurement of the drift in ratios between the frequencies generated by each clock will probe for the variation of α. Since the response of each atomic species to a change in α has a specific signature, this measurement will provide sensitive and unambiguous results. The sensitivity of this experiment to a changing α is comparable to the sensitivity of recent tests based on observational astronomy, exceeding the geophysical bounds on α variations. Thus, the experiment will provide a compelling reaffirmation or refutation of astronomical observations, and represents an important test of the models aimed at bridging physics of the quantum to the cosmos.

Optical frequency standards and femtosecond comb measurement capabilities now rival and in some cases exceed those of microwave devices, with further improvements anticipated. Opportunities are emerging for the application of highly stable and accurate optical frequency devices to fundamental physics space science activities, and the European Space Agency (ESA) has recently commissioned studies on different aspects of optical clocks in space. This paper highlights some examples, including the difficulty of comparing very accurate terrestrial clocks at different locations due to fluctuations of the geoid; by locating a primary frequency standard in space, one could avoid geoid-related gravitational redshifts.

We explain some of the main motivations for creating laboratory analogs of horizons (artificial black holes). We present a concise derivation of the Hawking effect, the quantum radiation of black holes, using a simple analog model.

NASA, NSF, and the Department of Energy established the Dark Energy Task Force to examine the opportunities for exploration of dark energy and to report on the various techniques that might be employed to further our understanding of this remarkable phenomenon. The Task Force examined dozens of white papers outlining the plans of teams to measure dark energy's properties. I present here the findings and recommendations of the Task Force. Our methodology is explained in another talk at this conference.

I review the exciting science that awaits cosmologists in precision measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation, particularly its polarization. The conclusions of the Interagency Taskforce ("Weiss Panel") will also be presented. I conclude with an update based primarily on the new WMAP results from their three-year analysis.

Inflationary cosmology, a period of accelerated expansion in the early Universe, is being tested by cosmic microwave-background measurements. Generic predictions of inflation have been shown to be correct, and in addition individual models are being tested. The model of natural inflation is examined in light of recent three-year data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and shown to provide a good fit. The inflaton potential is naturally flat due to shift symmetries, and in the simplest version is V(ϕ) = Λ⁴ [1 ± cos(Nϕ/f)]. The model agrees with WMAP3 measurements as long as f > 0.7 m_Pl (where m_Pl = 1.22 × 10¹⁹GeV) and Λ ~ m_GUT. The running of the scalar spectral index is shown to be small — an order of magnitude below the sensitivity of WMAP3. The location of the field in the potential when perturbations on observable scales are produced is examined; for f > 5 m_Pl, the relevant part of the potential is indistinguishable from a quadratic, yet has the advantage that the required flatness is well motivated. Depending on the value of f, the model falls into the large field (f ≥ 1.5 m_Pl) or small field (f < 1.5 m_Pl) classification scheme that has been applied to inflation models. Natural inflation provides a good fit to WMAP3 data.

We investigate the possibility that dark energy does not couple to gravitation in the same way as ordinary matter, yielding a violation of the weak and strong equivalence principles on cosmological scales. We build a transient mechanism in which gravitation is pushed away from general relativity (GR) by a Born–Infeld (BI) gauge interaction acting as an "abnormally weighting (dark) energy" (AWE). This mechanism accounts for the Hubble diagram of far-away supernovae by cosmic acceleration and time variation of the gravitational constant while accounting naturally for the present tests on GR.

We study the quantum dynamics of a material wave packet bouncing off a modulated atomic mirror in the presence of a gravitational field. We find the occurrence of coherent accelerated dynamics for atoms. The acceleration takes place for certain initial phase space data and within specific windows of modulation strengths. The realization of the proposed acceleration scheme is within the range of present day experimental possibilities.

A gravitomagnetic analog of the London moment in superconductors could explain the anomalous Cooper pair mass excess reported by Janet Tate. Ultimately the gravitomagnetic London moment is attributed to the breaking of the principle of general covariance in superconductors. This naturally implies nonconservation of classical energy–momentum. A possible relation with the manifestation of dark energy in superconductors is questioned.