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AION

Atom Interferometer Observatory and Network; a UK collaboration between Imperial College London and the University of Oxford to develop quantum sensors for detecting gravitational waves and dark matter.

Last refreshed: 24 June 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

What frequency of gravitational waves can atom interferometers detect that LIGO cannot?

Timeline for AION

#15 4 Aug

Mentioned in: Hungary adds €25m to Poland-led bid

European Tech Sovereignty
#9 17 Jun

Published shared-baseline atom-interferometry proof-of-technique results in Nature

UK Startups and Innovation: AION quantum result lands in Nature
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Background

AION published results in Nature on 17 June 2026 demonstrating that two atom interferometers run along a shared baseline can cancel their shared noise, recovering gravitational-wave and dark-matter signals that a single instrument cannot detect. The result validates the technical premise for a full-scale detector.

Standing for Atom Interferometer Observatory and Network, AION is led by Imperial College London, with Professor Oliver Buchmueller as principal investigator, in collaboration with the University of Oxford. It is funded through UKRI's Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics scheme, administered by STFC. The next stage, AION-10, is a ten-metre detector planned for Oxford's Beecroft building.

Atom interferometry uses the wave properties of ultracold atoms to measure tiny changes in acceleration or gravity with extreme precision. Its applications in fundamental physics include direct detection of gravitational waves in a frequency band inaccessible to existing laser interferometers such as LIGO, and searches for ultralight dark-matter candidates. AION carries no commercial spinout at this stage.

Common Questions
What did AION publish in Nature in June 2026?
AION published results showing that two atom interferometers sharing a baseline can cancel common noise, recovering gravitational-wave and dark-matter signals invisible to a single instrument.Source: Nature
How does an atom interferometer detect gravitational waves?
Atom interferometers use the wave properties of ultracold atoms to measure tiny accelerations. Paired along a shared baseline, they cancel correlated noise, making them sensitive to gravitational waves at mid-band frequencies that laser detectors like LIGO cannot reach.Source: event
What is AION-10 and when will it be built?
AION-10 is the planned ten-metre full-scale atom interferometer detector for Oxford's Beecroft building. No completion date has been publicly announced; UKRI funding and the June 2026 Nature result are the current milestones.Source: event
Can atom interferometers find dark matter?
AION's paired instrument design is sensitive to ultralight dark-matter candidates that would produce correlated signals in the two detectors while random noise cancels. The June 2026 Nature paper demonstrates this noise-cancellation in practice.Source: Nature
Source Material
Nature journal — AION publication

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 24 June 2026. Editorial standards.