Northwestern University physicists have developed a new tool that significantly enhances the sensitivity of atom interferometers, instruments used to measure extremely small forces. This advancement could aid in the search for elusive phenomena such as dark matter, dark energy, and gravitational waves. The study was published in Physical Review Letters.

Atom interferometers manipulate atoms with light pulses to detect minute forces. However, imperfections in these light pulses have historically limited their sensitivity. The new tool overcomes this limitation by self-correcting for these imperfections, achieving unprecedented levels of precision.

"Dark matter is somewhat of an embarrassing problem," said Timothy L. Kovachy from Northwestern University, who led the research. "We don’t know the nature of most of the matter in the universe." Kovachy emphasized that atom interferometers could play a significant role in searching for dark matter.

The instrument amplifies faint signals by 1,000 times—a 50-fold improvement compared to previous capabilities—by leveraging machine-learning techniques to orchestrate laser pulse sequences that reduce errors caused by imperfections.

Kovachy's team tested their model through simulations before verifying it experimentally, successfully amplifying signals by 1,000 times. "Before, we could only do 10 laser pulses; now we can do 500," Kovachy noted.

This development has potential applications beyond detecting dark matter. By optimizing laser pulse sequences globally rather than individually perfecting each pulse, researchers aim to unlock the full potential of atom interferometry.

The research received support from several organizations including the U.S. Department of Energy and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.