STE-QUEST -- Space Time Explorer and QUantum Equivalence principle Space Test: The 2022 medium-class mission concept

Abstract

Space-borne quantum technologies, particularly those based on atom interferometry, are heralding a new era of strategic and robust space exploration. The unique conditions of space, characterized by low noise and low gravity environments, open up diverse possibilities for applications ranging from precise time and frequency transfer to Earth Observation and the search of new Physics. In this paper, we summarise the M-class mission proposal in response to the 2022 call in ESA's science program: Space-Time Explorer and Quantum Equivalence Principle Space Test (STE-QUEST). It consists in a satellite mission featuring a dual-species atom interferometer operating over extended durations. This mission aims to tackle three of the most fundamental questions in Physics: (i) testing the universality of free fall with an accuracy better than one part in $10^{-17}$, (ii) exploring various forms of Ultra-Light Dark Matter, and (iii) scrutinizing the foundations of Quantum Mechanics.

As submitted to the M7 call in July 2022, except updated for the recent (Sept. 2022) MICROSCOPE results, and findings presented in arXiv:2310.04212; reformatted for journal publication