ABSTRACT
We report the first result of a direct search for a cosmic axion background (CaB)-a relativistic background of axions that is not dark matter-performed with the axion haloscope, the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX). Conventional haloscope analyses search for a signal with a narrow bandwidth, as predicted for dark matter, whereas the CaB will be broad. We introduce a novel analysis strategy, which searches for a CaB induced daily modulation in the power measured by the haloscope. Using this, we repurpose data collected to search for dark matter to set a limit on the axion photon coupling of a CaB originating from dark matter cascade decay via a mediator in the 800-995 MHz frequency range. We find that the present sensitivity is limited by fluctuations in the cavity readout as the instrument scans across dark matter masses. Nevertheless, we suggest that these challenges can be surmounted using superconducting qubits as single photon counters, and allow ADMX to operate as a telescope searching for axions emerging from the decay of dark matter. The daily modulation analysis technique we introduce can be deployed for various broadband rf signals, such as other forms of a CaB or even high-frequency gravitational waves.
ABSTRACT
We report the results from a haloscope search for axion dark matter in the 3.3-4.2 µeV mass range. This search excludes the axion-photon coupling predicted by one of the benchmark models of "invisible" axion dark matter, the Kim-Shifman-Vainshtein-Zakharov model. This sensitivity is achieved using a large-volume cavity, a superconducting magnet, an ultra low noise Josephson parametric amplifier, and sub-Kelvin temperatures. The validity of our detection procedure is ensured by injecting and detecting blind synthetic axion signals.
ABSTRACT
Axions are a promising cold dark matter candidate. Haloscopes, which use the conversion of axions to photons in the presence of a magnetic field to detect axions, are the basis of microwave cavity searches such as the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX). To search for lighter, low frequency axions in the sub- 2×10^{-7} eV (50 MHz) range, a tunable lumped-element LC circuit has been proposed. For the first time, through ADMX SLIC (Superconducting LC Circuit Investigating Cold Axions), a resonant LC circuit was used to probe this region of axion mass-coupling space. The detector used a superconducting LC circuit with piezoelectric driven capacitive tuning. The axion mass and corresponding frequency ranges 1.7498-1.7519×10^{-7} eV (42.31-42.36 MHz), 1.7734-1.7738×10^{-7} eV (42.88-42.89 MHz), and 1.8007-1.8015×10^{-7} eV (43.54-43.56 MHz) were covered at magnetic fields of 4.5 T, 5.0 T, and 7.0 T, respectively. Exclusion results from the search data, for coupling below 10^{-12} GeV^{-1}, are presented.
ABSTRACT
This Letter reports on a cavity haloscope search for dark matter axions in the Galactic halo in the mass range 2.81-3.31 µeV. This search utilizes the combination of a low-noise Josephson parametric amplifier and a large-cavity haloscope to achieve unprecedented sensitivity across this mass range. This search excludes the full range of axion-photon coupling values predicted in benchmark models of the invisible axion that solve the strong CP problem of quantum chromodynamics.
ABSTRACT
The µeV axion is a well-motivated extension to the standard model. The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) collaboration seeks to discover this particle by looking for the resonant conversion of dark-matter axions to microwave photons in a strong magnetic field. In this Letter, we report results from a pathfinder experiment, the ADMX "Sidecar," which is designed to pave the way for future, higher mass, searches. This testbed experiment lives inside of and operates in tandem with the main ADMX experiment. The Sidecar experiment excludes masses in three widely spaced frequency ranges (4202-4249, 5086-5799, and 7173-7203 MHz). In addition, Sidecar demonstrates the successful use of a piezoelectric actuator for cavity tuning. Finally, this publication is the first to report data measured using both the TM_{010} and TM_{020} modes.
ABSTRACT
This Letter reports the results from a haloscope search for dark matter axions with masses between 2.66 and 2.81 µeV. The search excludes the range of axion-photon couplings predicted by plausible models of the invisible axion. This unprecedented sensitivity is achieved by operating a large-volume haloscope at subkelvin temperatures, thereby reducing thermal noise as well as the excess noise from the ultralow-noise superconducting quantum interference device amplifier used for the signal power readout. Ongoing searches will provide nearly definitive tests of the invisible axion model over a wide range of axion masses.
ABSTRACT
Alignment sensing is often required in precision interferometry applications such as Advanced LIGO in order to achieve the optimum performance. Currently favored sensing schemes rely on the use of two separate radio-frequency (RF) quadrant photodetectors and Gouy phase telescopes to determine the alignment of a beam relative to an optical cavity axis. In this paper, we demonstrate an alternative sensing scheme that has potential advantages over the current standard schemes. We show that by using electro-optic beam deflectors to impose RF jitter sidebands on a beam, it is possible to extract full alignment signals for two in-line optical cavities from just one single-element photodetector in reflection of each cavity.
ABSTRACT
Advanced LIGO (aLIGO) requires multiple frequency sidebands to disentangle all of the main interferometer's length signals. This paper presents the results of a risk reduction experiment to produce two sets of frequency sidebands in parallel, avoiding mixed 'sidebands on sidebands'. Two phase modulation frequencies are applied to separate Electro-Optic Modulators (EOMs), with one EOM in each of the two arms of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. In this system the Mach-Zehnder's arm lengths are stabilized to reduce relative intensity noise in the recombined carrier beam by feeding a corrective control signal back to the Rubidium Titanyl Phosphate (RTP) EOM crystals to drive the optical path length difference to zero. This setup's use of the RTP crystals as length actuators provides enough bandwidth in the feedback to meet arm length stability requirements for aLIGO.
Subject(s)
Computer-Aided Design , Gravitation , Interferometry/instrumentation , Optics and Photonics , Transducers , Equipment Design , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
We show that dark matter axions cause an oscillating electric current to flow along magnetic field lines. The oscillating current induced in a strong magnetic field B0 produces a small magnetic field Ba. We propose to amplify and detect Ba using a cooled LC circuit and a very sensitive magnetometer. This appears to be a suitable approach to searching for axion dark matter in the 10(-7) to 10(-9) eV mass range.
ABSTRACT
We report the observation of two signatures of a pressure-induced topological quantum phase transition in the polar semiconductor BiTeI using x-ray powder diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The x-ray data confirm that BiTeI remains in its ambient-pressure structure up to 8 GPa. The lattice parameter ratio c/a shows a minimum between 2.0-2.9 GPa, indicating an enhanced c-axis bonding through p(z) band crossing as expected during the transition. Over the same pressure range, the infrared spectra reveal a maximum in the optical spectral weight of the charge carriers, reflecting the closing and reopening of the semiconducting band gap. Both of these features are characteristics of a topological quantum phase transition and are consistent with a recent theoretical proposal.
ABSTRACT
A method for active control of the spatial profile of a laser beam using adaptive thermal lensing is described. A segmented electrical heater was used to generate thermal gradients across a transmissive optical element, resulting in a controllable thermal lens. The segmented heater also allows the generation of cylindrical lenses, and provides the capability to steer the beam in both horizontal and vertical planes. Using this device as an actuator, a feedback control loop was developed to stabilize the beam size and position.
ABSTRACT
We describe the first implementation of a Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifier (JTWPA) in an axion dark matter search. The operation of the JTWPA for a period of about two weeks achieved sensitivity to axion-like particle dark matter with axion-photon couplings above 10-13 Ge V-1 over a narrow range of axion masses centered around 19.84 µeV by tuning the resonant frequency of the cavity over the frequency range of 4796.7-4799.5 MHz. The JTWPA was operated in the insert of the axion dark matter experiment as part of an independent receiver chain that was attached to a 0.56-l cavity. The ability of the JTWPA to deliver high gain over a wide (3 GHz) bandwidth has engendered interest from those aiming to perform broadband axion searches, a longstanding goal in this field.
ABSTRACT
Near-field radiation allows heat to propagate across a small vacuum gap at rates several orders of magnitude above that of far-field, blackbody radiation. Although heat transfer via near-field effects has been discussed for many years, experimental verification of this theory has been very limited. We have measured the heat transfer between two macroscopic sapphire plates, finding an increase in agreement with expectations from theory. These experiments, conducted near 300 K, have measured the heat transfer as a function of separation over mm to µm and as a function of temperature differences between 2.5 and 30 K. The experiments demonstrate that evanescence can be put to work to transfer heat from an object without actually touching it.
ABSTRACT
We report on the p doping of graphene with the polymer TFSA ((CF(3)SO(2))(2)NH). Modification of graphene with TFSA decreases the graphene sheet resistance by 70%. Through such modification, we report sheet resistance values as low as 129 Ω, thus attaining values comparable to those of indium-tin oxide (ITO), while displaying superior environmental stability and preserving electrical properties over extended time scales. Electrical transport measurements reveal that, after doping, the carrier density of holes increases, consistent with the acceptor nature of TFSA, and the mobility decreases due to enhanced short-range scattering. The Drude formula predicts that competition between these two effects yields an overall increase in conductivity. We confirm changes in the carrier density and Fermi level of graphene through changes in the Raman G and 2D peak positions. Doped graphene samples display high transmittance in the visible and near-infrared spectrum, preserving graphene's optical properties without any significant reduction in transparency, and are therefore superior to ITO films in the near infrared. The presented results allow integration of doped graphene sheets into optoelectronics, solar cells, and thermoelectric solar cells as well as engineering of the electrical characteristics of various devices by tuning the Fermi level of graphene.
ABSTRACT
Axion dark matter experiment ultra-low noise haloscope technology has enabled the successful completion of two science runs (1A and 1B) that looked for dark matter axions in the 2.66-3.1 µeV mass range with Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnisky sensitivity [Du et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 151301 (2018) and Braine et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 101303 (2020)]. Therefore, it is the most sensitive axion search experiment to date in this mass range. We discuss the technological advances made in the last several years to achieve this sensitivity, which includes the implementation of components, such as the state-of-the-art quantum-noise-limited amplifiers and a dilution refrigerator. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of a frequency tunable microstrip superconducting quantum interference device amplifier in run 1A, and a Josephson parametric amplifier in run 1B, along with novel analysis tools that characterize the system noise temperature.
ABSTRACT
We present an experimental demonstration of adaptive control of modal properties of optical beams. The control is achieved via heat-induced photothermal actuation of transmissive optical elements. We apply the heat using four electrical heaters in thermal contact with the element. The system is capable of controlling both symmetrical and astigmatic aberrations providing a powerful means for in situ correction and control of thermal aberrations in high power laser systems. We demonstrate a tunable lens with a focusing power varying from minus infinity to -10 m along two axes using SF57 optical glass. Applications of the proposed system include laser material processing, thermal compensation of high laser power radiation, and optical beam steering.
ABSTRACT
We report the complex optical conductivity of a superconducting thin film of Nb 0.5 Ti 0.5 N in an external magnetic field. The field was applied parallel to the film surface and the conductivity extracted from far-infrared transmission and reflection measurements. The real part shows the superconducting gap, which we observe to be suppressed by the applied magnetic field. We compare our results with the pair-breaking theory of Abrikosov and Gor'kov and confirm directly the theory's validity for the optical conductivity.
ABSTRACT
Axions in the microeV mass range are a plausible cold dark-matter candidate and may be detected by their conversion into microwave photons in a resonant cavity immersed in a static magnetic field. We report the first result from such an axion search using a superconducting first-stage amplifier (SQUID) replacing a conventional GaAs field-effect transistor amplifier. This experiment excludes KSVZ dark-matter axions with masses between 3.3 microeV and 3.53 microeV and sets the stage for a definitive axion search utilizing near quantum-limited SQUID amplifiers.
ABSTRACT
Scalar fields with a "chameleon" property, in which the effective particle mass is a function of its local environment, are common to many theories beyond the standard model and could be responsible for dark energy. If these fields couple weakly to the photon, they could be detectable through the afterglow effect of photon-chameleon-photon transitions. The ADMX experiment was used in the first chameleon search with a microwave cavity to set a new limit on scalar chameleon-photon coupling ßγ excluding values between 2×10(9) and 5×10(14) for effective chameleon masses between 1.9510 and 1.9525 µeV.
ABSTRACT
Hidden U(1) gauge symmetries are common to many extensions of the standard model proposed to explain dark matter. The hidden gauge vector bosons of such extensions may mix kinetically with standard model photons, providing a means for electromagnetic power to pass through conducting barriers. The axion dark matter experiment detector was used to search for hidden vector bosons originating in an emitter cavity driven with microwave power. We exclude hidden vector bosons with kinetic couplings χ>3.48×10â»8 for masses less than 3 µeV. This limit represents an improvement of more than 2 orders of magnitude in sensitivity relative to previous cavity experiments.