0000000000242570
AUTHOR
D. F. Jackson Kimball
Production and detection of atomic hexadecapole at Earth's magnetic field
Anisotropy of atomic states is characterized by population differences and coherences between Zeeman sublevels. It can be efficiently created and probed via resonant interactions with light, the technique which is at the heart of modern atomic clocks and magnetometers. Recently, nonlinear magneto-optical techniques have been developed for selective production and detection of higher polarization moments, hexadecapole and hexacontatetrapole, in the ground states of the alkali atoms. Extension of these techniques into the range of geomagnetic fields is important for practical applications. This is because hexadecapole polarization corresponding to the $\Delta M=4$ Zeeman coherence, with maxim…
Characterization of the global network of optical magnetometers to search for exotic physics (GNOME)
The Global Network of Optical Magnetometers to search for Exotic physics (GNOME) is a network of geographically separated, time-synchronized, optically pumped atomic magnetometers that is being used to search for correlated transient signals heralding exotic physics. The GNOME is sensitive to nuclear- and electron-spin couplings to exotic fields from astrophysical sources such as compact dark-matter objects (for example, axion stars and domain walls). Properties of the GNOME sensors such as sensitivity, bandwidth, and noise characteristics are studied in the present work, and features of the network's operation (e.g., data acquisition, format, storage, and diagnostics) are described. Charac…
Production and detection of atomic hexadecapole at Earth’s magnetic field
We report a novel method that allows selective creation and detection of a macroscopic long lived hexadecapole polarization in the F = 2 ground state of 87Rb atoms at Earth's magnetic field (510 mG).
Rubidium dimers in paraffin-coated cells
Measurements were made to determine the density of rubidium dimer vapor in paraffin-coated cells. The number density of dimers and atoms in similar paraffin-coated and uncoated cells was measured by optical spectroscopy. Due to the relatively low melting point of paraffin, a limited temperature range of 43-80 deg C was explored, with the lower end corresponding to a dimer density of less than 10^7 cm^(-3). With one-minute integration time, a sensitivity to dimer number density of better than 10^6 cm^(-3) was achieved. No significant difference in dimer density was observed between the cells.
Overview of the Cosmic Axion Spin Precession Experiment (CASPEr)
An overview of our experimental program to search for axion and axion-like-particle (ALP) dark matter using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques is presented. An oscillating axion field can exert a time-varying torque on nuclear spins either directly or via generation of an oscillating nuclear electric dipole moment (EDM). Magnetic resonance techniques can be used to detect such an effect. The first-stage experiments explore many decades of ALP parameter space beyond the current astrophysical and laboratory bounds. It is anticipated that future versions of the experiments will be sensitive to the axions associated with quantum chromodynamics (QCD) having masses $\lesssim 10^{-9}~{\rm…
Searching for axion stars and $Q$-balls with a terrestrial magnetometer network
Light (pseudo-)scalar fields are promising candidates to be the dark matter in the Universe. Under certain initial conditions in the early Universe and/or with certain types of self-interactions, they can form compact dark-matter objects such as axion stars or Q-balls. Direct encounters with such objects can be searched for by using a global network of atomic magnetometers. It is shown that for a range of masses and radii not ruled out by existing observations, the terrestrial encounter rate with axion stars or Q-balls can be sufficiently high (at least once per year) for a detection. Furthermore, it is shown that a global network of atomic magnetometers is sufficiently sensitive to pseudos…