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arXiv · 1610.02580

First results from a microwave cavity axion search at 24 micro-eV

B. M. Brubaker·L. Zhong·Y. V. Gurevich·S. B. Cahn·S. K. Lamoreaux·M. Simanovskaia·J. R. Root·S. M. Lewis·S. Al Kenany·K. M. Backes·I. Urdinaran·N. M. Rapidis·T. M. Shokair·K. A. van Bibber·D. A. Palken·M. Malnou·W. F. Kindel·M. A. Anil·K. W. Lehnert·G. Carosi
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Abstract

We report on the first results from a new microwave cavity search for dark matter axions with masses above $20~μ\text{eV}$. We exclude axion models with two-photon coupling $g_{aγγ} \gtrsim 2\times10^{-14}~\text{GeV}^{-1}$ over the range $23.55~μ\text{eV} < m_a < 24.0~μ\text{eV}$. These results represent two important achievements. First, we have reached cosmologically relevant sensitivity an order of magnitude higher in mass than any existing limits. Second, by incorporating a dilution refrigerator and Josephson parametric amplifier, we have demonstrated total noise approaching the standard quantum limit for the first time in an axion search.

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B. M. Brubaker, L. Zhong, Y. V. Gurevich, S. B. Cahn, S. K. Lamoreaux, M. Simanovskaia, J. R. Root, S. M. Lewis, S. Al Kenany, K. M. Backes, I. Urdinaran, N. M. Rapidis, T. M. Shokair, K. A. van Bibber, D. A. Palken, M. Malnou, W. F. Kindel, M. A. Anil, K. W. Lehnert, G. Carosi. 2017-02-09. First results from a microwave cavity axion search at 24 micro-eV. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.118.061302

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