Superconductors as transducers and antennas for gravitational and electromagnetic radiation

Type II superconductors will be considered as macroscopic quantum gravitational antennas, which can simultaneously also be used as efficient transducers for converting electromagnetic radiation into gravitational radiation, and vice versa. A Meissner-like effect, in which the LenseThirring field associated with a gravity wave is expelled from the interior of the superconductor, is predicted. An analysis of a process of natural impedance matching in type II superconductors such as YBCO based on the Ginzburg-Landau theory yields an estimate of the transducer conversion efficiency of the order of unity upon reflection of the wave. Thus efficient emitters and receivers of gravitational radiation can be constructed at microwave frequencies. A simple, Hertz-like experiment using YBCO and 12 GHz microwaves is being performed to test these ideas. Results of this experiment will be reported elsewhere. (PACS nos.: 03.65.Ud, 04.30.Db, 04.30.Nk, 04.80.Nn, 74.60-w, 74.72.Bk)