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Massive graviton dark matter searches with long-baseline atom interferometers

Diego Blas1,2, John Carlton3,*, and Christopher McCabe3

  • *Contact author: john.carlton@kcl.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. D 111, 115020 – Published 20 June, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/zxtk-bwnf

Abstract

Atom interferometers offer exceptional sensitivity to ultralight dark matter (ULDM) by precisely measuring effects on atomic systems. Previous studies have demonstrated their capability to detect scalar and vector ULDM candidates, yet their potential for probing spin-2 ULDM remains unexplored. In this work, we address this gap by investigating the sensitivity of atom interferometers to spin-2 ULDM across several frameworks for massive gravity, including the Lorentz-invariant Fierz-Pauli case and two distinct Lorentz-violating scenarios. We show that coherent oscillations of the spin-2 ULDM field induce measurable phase shifts in atom interferometers through three coupling mechanisms; scalar interactions that modify atomic energy levels, and vector and tensor effects that alter the propagation of both atoms and light. We demonstrate that these multifaceted interactions enable atom interferometers to probe a range of ULDM properties and mass scales that are inaccessible to laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Our results establish the potential of atom interferometers to open a new experimental frontier for spin-2 dark matter detection.

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Phys. Rev. D 111, 115020– Published 20 June, 2025
  • Received 23 January 2025
  • Accepted 3 June 2025
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