Global detector network to search for high-frequency gravitational waves (GravNet): conceptual design
We propose GravNet (Global detector network to search for high-frequency gravitational waves), a novel experimental scheme enabling the search for gravitational waves in the MHz to GHz frequency range. Such high-frequency gravitational waves could arise from a variety of phenomena connected to some of the most pressing and fundamental questions in modern cosmology. The GravNet concept is based on synchronous measurements of signals from multiple experimental measurement devices operating at geographically separated locations. While gravitational-wave-induced signatures may be present in the signal of a single detector, distinguishing them from instrumental or environmental noise is highly challenging. By analyzing correlations between signals from several distant detectors, the detection significance is substantially enhanced, while simultaneously enabling studies of the nature and origin of the gravitational-wave signal. In this work, we discuss the GravNet concept specifically in the context of cavities operated in strong magnetic fields, as these currently represent the most technically mature and experimentally advanced realization of the scheme. As part of this proposal, a first demonstration experiment using a non-superconducting cavity has been performed, providing the basis for the data-analysis strategies discussed in this work. Finally, we outline the prospects and future development of GravNet as a global network for high-frequency gravitational-wave searches.