High-Frequency Gravitational Wave Constraints from Precision Spectroscopy

Abstract

Gravitational waves affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves in laser cavities, modulating the frequency of emitted photons. We use this effect to search for high-frequency gravitational waves between 100 kHz and 100 MHz using optical precision spectroscopy. Our limits constrain much of this frequency range for the first time. We discuss future improvements of the technique, which we expect to enhance the sensitivity by eight orders of magnitude, and to extend the frequency coverage up to at least 1 GHz.