6533b860fe1ef96bd12c3a5a
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Search for axion-like dark matter with spin-based amplifiers
Antoine GarconDmitry BudkerDmitry BudkerHaowen SuXinhua PengMin Jiangsubject
PhysicsParticle physicsQuantum PhysicsPhoton010308 nuclear & particles physicsAtomic Physics (physics.atom-ph)Physics beyond the Standard ModelQuantum sensorDark matterGeneral Physics and AstronomyFOS: Physical sciencesParameter space7. Clean energy01 natural sciencesPhysics - Atomic PhysicsHigh Energy Physics - PhenomenologyHigh Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph)0103 physical sciencesddc:530010306 general physicsNucleonSpin (physics)Quantum Physics (quant-ph)Axiondescription
Ultralight axion-like particles (ALPs) are well-motivated dark matter candidates introduced by theories beyond the standard model. However, the constraints on the existence of ALPs through existing laboratory experiments are hindered by their current sensitivities, which are usually weaker than astrophysical limits. Here, we demonstrate a new quantum sensor to search for ALPs in the mass range that spans about two decades from 8.3 feV to 744 feV. Our sensor makes use of hyperpolarized long-lived nuclear spins as a pre-amplifier that effectively enhances coherently oscillating axion-like dark-matter field by a factor of >100. Using spin-based amplifiers, we achieve an ultrahigh magnetic sensitivity of 18 fT/Hz$^{1/2}$, which is significantly better than state-of-the-art nuclear-spin magnetometers. Our experiment constrains the parameter space describing the coupling of ALPs to nucleons over our mass range, at 67.5 feV reaching $2.9\times 10^{-9}~\textrm{GeV}^{-1}$ ($95\%$ confidence level), improving over previous laboratory limits by at least five orders of magnitude. Our measurements also constrain the ALP-nucleon quadratic interaction and dark photon-nucleon interaction with new limits beyond the astrophysical ones
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-01 |