Superconducting magnets have the power to catch cosmic ripples

Physicists have proposed a novel method to detect high-frequency gravitational waves using superconducting magnets originally designed for dark matter experiments. Unlike current gravitational wave detectors like LIGO, which are sensitive primarily below a few kilohertz, this new approach could extend detection capabilities into the kilohertz to megahertz range—frequencies that have remained largely unexplored. The concept builds on the idea that when gravitational waves pass through a superconducting magnet, they induce tiny vibrations that alter the magnetic field. These subtle changes can be detected by highly sensitive Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs), providing a direct magnetic signal that is easier to measure and less prone to noise compared to earlier mechanical detectors such as Joseph Weber’s resonant bars from the 1960s. This magnet-based detection method offers several advantages. It leverages existing infrastructure from dark matter experiments like DMRadio and ADMX-EFR, potentially allowing dual use of the same superconducting magnets for both dark matter searches and gravitational