Results of the phase II search for haystac for black matter axes

Axes, hypothetical subotomic particles which were proposed for the first time by theoretical physicists in the late 1970s, were among the most promising candidates of dark matter. Theories of physics suggest that the interactions between these particles and regular materials are extremely low, which makes them very difficult to detect by using conventional experimental configurations.

The Haystac (Haloscope at Yale Sensitive to Axion Cold Dark Matter) experience is a research collaboration between Yale, Berkeley and Johns Hopkins, aimed at detecting axions by looking for the small electromagnetic signals that they could produce in a strong magnetic field.

In a recent article published in Physical examination lettersThe Haystac collaboration has reported the widest research results of the axions carried out to date, using a technique known as quantum compression, which is designed to reduce quantum noise (that is, random fluctuations that negatively affect the measures of their haloscope).

“The axion was introduced to explain the conjugation and parity asymmetry (CP) of the lack of load in strong force, and the original idea of ​​the way of looking for axes came from Sikivie,” said Reina Maruyama, co-author of the newspaper, to Phys.org. “Steve Lamoreaux has long worked on the high problem of the CP, from his work on the search for the permanent electrical dipole moment in mercury atoms and in neutrons.”

Originally, the axions were introduced by the theorists Frank Wilczek and Steven Weinberg to explain the inverse symmetry in time in the strong nuclear forces. Finally, however, they have also become a possible candidate for dark matter, the elusive type of matter which interacts only weakly with electromagnetic radiation and which will however explain most of the mass of the universe.

“Theoretically, there is a parameter of pure number (thea, the Greek letter) which defines the level of time reversal asymmetry, and it can in principle be almost anything, but its value is less than 0.0000000001 (10 (10^-10) As limited mainly by the electrical dipolar moment with neutron, “said Steve Lamoreaux, co-author of the newspaper.

“The opposite asymmetry of time is however observed in the disintegration of” strange “mesons, so why it should be so small in nuclear force is a mystery which is resolved by the Axion (in the collective sense). Pierre Sikivie seems to be the first to appreciate in a very weak way with the matter or an electromagnic of dark matter.

The awareness that the light axions could saturate the density of matter in the universe have been reported almost simultaneously by three distinct research groups. The first was led by Sikivie and Lou Abbott, the second of Michael Dine and Willy Fischler, and the third of John Preskill, Mark Wise and Frank Wilczek.

Shortly after the introduction of the idea that axes could be a candidate for dark matter, however, Sikivie also described the concept of an axion detector of the black halo “Haloscope” halo, an instrument that relies on a microwave cavity placed in a very strong magnetic field. This magnetic field should cause the conversion of axions to photons to radio or microwave frequencies, which would in turn allow their direct detection, although the associated signals are very low.

“Fifteen years ago, it seemed to us that if the experiences of microwave cavity of the Sikivie type made good progress, improving sensitivity in the Gigahertz range, which was necessary was an avant-garde effort to open the higher mass range to the post-inflation axion,” said Karl Van Bibber, co-authentication. “Haystac’s experience has been designed as a pathfinder and an innovation test bed for new concepts of amplifiers and resonators at ever higher frequencies. This would require a small agile experience.”

As the frequencies increased, the challenges were encountered during the attempted detection of axes with haloscopes. For example, higher frequencies also involve a reduction in the volume of the conversion cavity and a lower density of axes for a mass of halo given by unitary volume.

In phase II of their experience, researchers used quantum measurement technologies and used quantum compression to improve their sensitivity. So far, Haystac is one of the two experiences in the world, as well as the larger research effort Advanced Ligo, which was based on quantum compression to stimulate the sensitivity of measurement tools.

Haystac collaboration has also integrated external dilution refrigerators without cryogenic in their configuration, which was not used during previous research on Axion. Quantum compression and dilution refrigerators have allowed them to reduce the financial costs associated with the construction of their half -minded and operating.

Although they do not detect any signal that can be linked to axes, the team was able to seek a larger parameter space. In the future, they plan to continue improving the Haystac equipment and continuing their search for axion of dark matter, while working on other black matter searches using haloscopes and equipment in Yale.

“We have several ideas on the thrust of experience to search for axes with higher masses, and we are working on several ideas inspired by quantum technology to improve detection techniques,” said Danielle Speller, co-author of the newspaper.

“The alpha experience is a natural extension, as well as the detection of unique photons with the atoms of Rydberg, and the improvement of the detection, which we call the cease-fire, described in this article. Metamaterial resonators, on which we work.”

Alpha experience is a greater research collaboration aimed at detecting axions with significantly larger masses, especially in the post-inflation axis mass diet. This experience will be based on a different instrument known as the plasma haloscope, which is currently under construction in Yale.

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