Superconducting Oscillator for Novel Astrophysical Radiation: a pioneering detector concept for high-frequency gravitational waves and axion searchescore
SONAR · Horizon Europe grant · 2027-04-01–2032-03-31
EC contribution
Total cost
Beneficiaries
About the data
Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call ERC-2025-ADG · scheme HORIZON-ERC · topic ERC-2025-ADG. CORDIS record →
Objective
This proposal outlines a pioneering experiment to detect high-frequency gravitational waves (GWs) in the 10 kHz to 100 MHz range, beyond the current operational bandwidth of large-scale interferometers such as LIGO. Like electromagnetic radiation, GWs are expected to span many decades in frequency, with each band potentially encoding unique, unexplored physics. Above 10 kHz, the lack of abundant astrophysical sources offers a clean observational window free from foreground contamination. Any detection in this regime would constitute compelling evidence for physics beyond the Standard Model, potentially arising from exotic compact objects (e.g., primordial black holes or boson stars) or from early-universe phenomena. Such a discovery would have far-reaching implications for fundamental particle physics. SONAR employs a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavity with two closely spaced electromagnetic modes. A passing GW induces a resonant deformation of the cavity walls, transferring power between modes, an effect measurable with instrumentation pushed beyond current technologies. Additionally, the same infrastructure enables broadband searches for ultralight axion dark matter, based on power transfer between modes induced by direct axion–photon coupling.Despite its immense scientific potential, this technologically ambitious concept has never been implemented. Recent advancements in SRF cavity performance and control, along with our breakthrough in RF noise suppression, now make its realization feasible. To achieve this, SONAR will develop and fabricate optimized cavities, advance state-of-the-art cavity control and readout, and design a suspension system to minimize vibrational noise as close as possible to the thermal limit. These innovations will maximize sensitivity and enable the first-ever search for high-frequency GWs in this regime.
Beneficiaries (1)
| Organisation | Country | Role | EC contribution | SME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEUTSCHES ELEKTRONEN-SYNCHROTRON DESY | DE | coordinator | €3,412,875 |
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