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arXiv · 2505.02821

High-Frequency Gravitational Wave Search with ABRACADABRA-10\,cm

Abstract

High-frequency gravitational waves (HFGWs), above 10 kHz, promise a clean probe of new physics, largely free of the astrophysical backgrounds that complicate lower-frequency searches. Axion detectors, which search for axion dark matter via its coupling to electrodynamics in a strong magnetic field, should also be sensitive to HFGWs. We present the first dedicated search for HFGWs, using a modified ABRA-10cm axion detector, ABRA-GW, that runs simultaneously with a conventional axion search. ABRA-GW opens the 10 kHz-5 MHz band to HFGW searches and performs the first transient search by an axion experiment, targeting primordial black hole (PBH) mergers. Axion sensitivity is unaffected by the added gravitational-wave channel, and HFGW sensitivity matches theoretical expectations. This work demonstrates the broad physics reach of axion detectors and represents a first step toward a potential HFGW discovery.

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BibTeXRIS

Kaliroë M. W. Pappas, Jessica T. Fry, Sabrina Cheng, Arianna Colón Cesaní, Jonathan L. Ouellet, Inoela Vital, Lindley Winslow, Valerie Domcke, Sung Mook Lee, Joshua W. Foster, Reyco Henning, Yonatan Kahn, Nicholas L. Rodd, Benjamin R. Safdi, Chiara P. Salemi. 2025-05-05. High-Frequency Gravitational Wave Search with ABRACADABRA-10\,cm. https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.02821

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