4–5 Jun 2026
University of Geneva
Europe/Zurich timezone

Atom Interferometer Porta Alpina – Gravitational Waves and Dark Matter in the Gotthard

5 Jun 2026, 11:00
15m
Sciences II Auditorium A100 (University of Geneva)

Sciences II Auditorium A100

University of Geneva

Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30

Speaker

Lucas Lombriser (FHGR & UNIGE)

Description

Atom interferometer experiments offer interesting prospects for searches for interactions of ultralight bosonic dark matter with Standard Model particles, detection of gravitational waves in a frequency band inaccessible to experiments that are operating or under construction, as well as tests of dark energy and modified gravity. The 140-m PX46 access shaft to the LHC at CERN and an 870-m shaft providing access to the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Sedrun, Grisons (aka “Porta Alpina”) offer ideal locations for next-generation vertical long-baseline atom interferometers. I will discuss the results of an exploratory environmental measurement campaign at the Sedrun site as well as status and outlook towards constructing a Gotthard Atom Interferometer.

Author

Lucas Lombriser (FHGR & UNIGE)

Presentation materials