SBIR Phase I: Resilient Gravitronic Communication System

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the need for the universal availability of communications, especially in places where traditional communication methods are compromised or unavailable. Global tension, vulnerability of communication satellites, an increase in the frequency of natural disasters, physical barriers, and human space exploration make resilient communications more important than ever. Since matter is practically invisible to gravitational waves (GWs), such waves can transmit information through a planet or turbulent atmosphere without requiring relay satellites. In the coming decade, components of a coherent gravitational wave communication system have the potential to address these challenges and deliver foundational technology for other advanced applications such as ground based orbital cleanup, planet and planetoid matter composition analysis, asteroid deflection, and wireless energy transfer systems to name a few.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to build upon research that shows dynamic source mass configurations can change the local gravitational field in regimes detectable by current technology. By improving the gravitational field detector’s sensitivity, implementing fine grained control of local changes in the gravitational field, and comprehensively isolating the system from non-gravitational influences, an improved characterization of induced gravitational field changes may be developed. These advances could lead to improved research tools and methods that are a pathway to the development of future system configurations that generate coherent gravitational waves. This research is an essential step toward directly or indirectly transmitting and receiving modulated information by a resilient gravitational communication system.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.