The work reported here is a rigorous conceptual replication of the so-called “Correlation-Matrix” experiment by an independent author. The experiment has been built from scratch with new hardware and ...software, testing 200 participants that have spent about half an hour each trying to ‘influence’ a physical random process visualized for feedback. The analysis software has been conceptualized following a strict blind analysis protocol. Blind analysis is a more rigid form of pre-registered analysis, in which the complete analysis software is written and tested before the data is actually analysed for the effect under study. The unblinding of the analysis, also called ‘opening of the box’ of the experiment described here has been performed live at the PA convention 2019 in Paris.
The main result was found to be not statistically significant and fell well within the expected random distribution of possible results. A second experiment, also following a blind analysis protocol, included questionnaires that were correlated with the participants’ performance to ‘influence’ the physical random process (the main psi task). This yielded a probability of p=0.06 to have occurred by chance, under a null hypothesis. A post-hoc analysis of the hit rate for the psi task across all participants, which is mathematically independent from the correlation analysis, yielded a probability of p=0.06 as well, to have occurred by chance. Three unexpected anecdotal incidences that occurred during the execution of the experiment and the testing and actual analysis of the data may add to the canon of oddities and trickster-like effects sometimes reported in parapsychology research.
The first direct measurement of gravitational waves by the LIGO and Virgo collaborations has opened up new avenues to explore our Universe. This white paper outlines the challenges and gains expected ...in gravitational-wave searches at frequencies above the LIGO/Virgo band, with a particular focus on Ultra High-Frequency Gravitational Waves (UHF-GWs), covering the MHz to GHz range. The absence of known astrophysical sources in this frequency range provides a unique opportunity to discover physics beyond the Standard Model operating both in the early and late Universe, and we highlight some of the most promising gravitational sources. We review several detector concepts that have been proposed to take up this challenge, and compare their expected sensitivity with the signal strength predicted in various models. This report is the summary of the workshop “Challenges and opportunities of high-frequency gravitational wave detection” held at ICTP Trieste, Italy in October 2019, that set up the stage for the recently launched Ultra-High-Frequency Gravitational Wave (UHF-GW) initiative.
The nature of dark matter remains unknown to date, although several candidate particles are being considered in a dynamically changing research landscape
. Scalar field dark matter is a prominent ...option that is being explored with precision instruments, such as atomic clocks and optical cavities
. Here we describe a direct search for scalar field dark matter using a gravitational-wave detector, which operates beyond the quantum shot-noise limit. We set new upper limits on the coupling constants of scalar field dark matter as a function of its mass, by excluding the presence of signals that would be produced through the direct coupling of this dark matter to the beam splitter of the GEO600 interferometer. These constraints improve on bounds from previous direct searches by more than six orders of magnitude and are, in some cases, more stringent than limits obtained in tests of the equivalence principle by up to four orders of magnitude. Our work demonstrates that scalar field dark matter can be investigated or constrained with direct searches using gravitational-wave detectors and highlights the potential of quantum-enhanced interferometry for dark matter detection.
Photon shot noise, arising from the quantum-mechanical nature of the light, currently limits the sensitivity of all the gravitational wave observatories at frequencies above one kilohertz. We report ...a successful application of squeezed vacuum states of light at the GEO 600 observatory and demonstrate for the first time a reduction of quantum noise up to 6.03±0.02 dB in a kilometer scale interferometer. This is equivalent at high frequencies to increasing the laser power circulating in the interferometer by a factor of 4. Achieving this milestone, a key goal for the upgrades of the advanced detectors required a better understanding of the noise sources and losses and implementation of robust control schemes to mitigate their contributions. In particular, we address the optical losses from beam propagation, phase noise from the squeezing ellipse, and backscattered light from the squeezed light source. The expertise gained from this work carried out at GEO 600 provides insight toward the implementation of 10 dB of squeezing envisioned for third-generation gravitational wave detectors.
Mind-matter interaction experiments have been progressing from targeting simple bias of random number generators to correlation studies between psychological and physical variables, carried out over ...multiple combinations of these. This paper reports on a new correlation study between human intention and the output of a binary random number generator. The study comprises a total of 720000 bits from 20 equal sessions each on a different human participant. Each participant spent 1 hour of time attempting to ’influence’ the outcome of the random number generator according to a pre-selected intention. During this time the participant was provided feedback on his/her performance by an analog mechanical display, with the needle of a galvanometric instrument moving to the left or right hand side of its current position, according to the instantaneous output of the random number generator. Psychological variables were obtained from the participants by a hardware dial ahead of each individual run and by a questionnaire before the participants first experimental session. Three types of data analysis were defined and tested before looking at the data, resembling a blind analysis technique. The first analysis looks at the distribution of hit rates from the 20 participants. A former study of this kind had found a significant result for this type of analysis. The second analysis tests for correlations between psychological variables obtained before each run and the hit rate of the corresponding subsequent run. The third analysis is a conceptual replication of von Lucadous correlation matrix method. It consists of multiple correlation tests between psychological and physical variables, which also can be interpreted as a multiple-analysis technique. The results of the study are p-values of p = 0.438, p = 0.703, and p = 0.0949 for the three analysis’ results to have occurred by chance under a null hypothesis. The combined p-value for these results is p = 0.315. While none of the pre-defined analysis results is found significant, a post-hoc variant of analysis 3 that includes the control data is significant with p = 0.012 to have occurred by chance, under a null hypothesis.
Abstract Axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) are leading candidates for dark matter. They are well motivated in many extensions of the standard model and supported by astronomical observations. We ...propose an iterative transformation of the existing facilities of the gravitational-wave detector and technology testbed GEO600, located near Ruthe in Germany, into a kilometre-scale upgrade of the laser-interferometric axion detector LIDA. The final DarkGEO detector could search for coincident signatures of axions and ALPs and significantly surpass the current constraints of both direct searches and astrophysical observations in the measurement band from 10 −16 to 10 −8 eV. We discuss design parameters and sensitivities for the configurations of the different iteration steps as well as technical challenges known from the first LIDA results. The proposed DarkGEO detector will be well suited to probe the mass-coupling parameter space associated with predictions from theoretical models, like grand-unified theories, as well as from astrophysical evidence, like the cosmic infrared background.
A Pre-Registered Confirmatory Experiment of Mental Entanglement with a Photomultiplier', published in Neuroquantology in September 2016 1, claims a significant effect for mental action at a distance ...(or something similar) onto a physical system. This author re-analyzed the experimental data with a Monte-Carlo method estimating the background distribution from random permutations of the experimental data. While the authors of find a Bayes factor of 9.6x10^10 for one of their main results, this author finds the result of the Monte-Carlo simulation to be not significant: The probability to find the data (or more extreme data) as observed (under a null hypothesis of no mental influence) is p=0.074 and p=0.30 for two pre-specified conditions, respectively. The error in the claiming of the high significance in probably stems from the assumption that the statistics of the data is binomial distributed, which, as will be argued, seems to be an incorrect assumption.
Low-mass (sub-eV) scalar field dark matter may induce apparent oscillations of fundamental constants, resulting in corresponding oscillations of the size and the index of refraction of solids. Laser ...interferometers are highly sensitive to changes in the size and index of refraction of the main beam splitter. Using cross-correlated data of the Fermilab Holometer instrument, which consists of twin colocated 40-m arm length power-recycled interferometers, we investigate the possible existence of scalar field dark matter candidates in the mass range between 1.6×10^{-12} eV and 1.0×10^{-7} eV. We set new upper limits for the coupling parameters of scalar field dark matter, improving on limits from previous direct searches by up to 3 orders of magnitude.
PDF
