Gravitational-wave astronomy with a space-based optical clock network

[2606.01516] Gravitational-wave astronomy with a space-based optical clock network Skip to main content Search Submit Donate Log in General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology arXiv:2606.01516 (gr-qc) [Submitted on 1 Jun 2026 ( v1 ), last revised 26 Aug 2026 (this version, v2)] Title: Gravitational-wave astronomy with a space-based optical clock network Authors: Dhruva Ganapathy , Divya Singh , Sammith Singamsetty , Shimon Kolkowitz View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract: Since the first detection of a merging binary black hole system a decade ago, gravitational-wave astronomy has emerged as a powerful tool for astrophysics. Future space-based observatories, such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), will unlock the millihertz (mHz) band, which remains entirely inaccessible to ground-based detectors due to terrestrial noise. In parallel, proposed atom-based gravitational-wave detectors, specifically those based on space-based optical clocks and atom interferometers, offer capabilities that are unique and complementary to traditional optical interferometers. Their highly tunable character enables sensitive measurements across a broad frequency band extending from the mHz up to and possibly even above the Hz regime. In this work, we investigate the use of one-way Doppler tracking in space-based atomic clock networks operating in concert with detectors like LISA. We analyze the dominant noise sources and develop dedicated measurement protocols, which operate in a targeted mode, using an externally supplied signal model to track the response coherently as the source chirps. Performing preliminary parameter estimation on simulated signals, we demonstrate how these detectors could be used to extract critical astrophysical information about binary gravitational-wave sources. We further show that the same instrument retains sensitivity in a search mode, where no prior on the source is assumed. Subjects: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc) ; Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph); Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det) Cite as: arXiv:2606.01516 [gr-qc] (or arXiv:2606.01516v2 [gr-qc] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2606.01516 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite Submission history From: Dhruva Ganapathy [ view email ] [v1] Mon, 1 Jun 2026 00:41:49 UTC (3,908 KB) [v2] Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:45:10 UTC (3,850 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View PDF HTML (experimental) TeX Source view license Current browse context: gr-qc < prev | next > new | recent | 2026-06 Change to browse by: astro-ph astro-ph.IM physics physics.atom-ph physics.ins-det References & Citations INSPIRE HEP SciX Google Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer ( What is the Explorer? ) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers ( What is Connected Papers? ) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps ( What is Litmaps? ) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations ( What are Smart Citations? ) Code, Data, Media Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article alphaXiv Toggle alphaXiv ( What is alphaXiv? ) Links to Code Toggle CatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers ( What is CatalyzeX? ) DagsHub Toggle DagsHub ( What is DagsHub? ) GotitPub Toggle Gotit.pub ( What is GotitPub? ) Huggingface Toggle Hugging Face ( What is Huggingface? ) ScienceCast Toggle ScienceCast ( What is ScienceCast? ) Demos Demos Replicate Toggle Replicate ( What is Replicate? ) Spaces Toggle Hugging Face Spaces ( What is Spaces? ) Spaces Toggle TXYZ.AI ( What is TXYZ.AI? ) Related Papers Recommenders and Search Tools Link to Influence Flower Influence Flower ( What are Influence Flowers? ) Core recommender toggle CORE Recommender ( What is CORE? ) IArxiv recommender toggle IArxiv Recommender ( What is IArxiv? ) Author Venue Institution Topic About arXivLabs arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs . Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax ( What is MathJax? ) We gratefully acknowledge support from our major funders , member institutions , and all contributors. About · Help · Contact · Subscribe · Copyright · Privacy · Accessibility · Operational Status (opens in new tab)

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