Search for axion-like dark matter with ferromagnets

Abstract

Existence of dark matter indicates the presence of unknown fundamental laws of nature. Ultralight axion-like particles are well-motivated dark matter candidates, emerging naturally from theories of physics at ultrahigh energies. We report the results of a direct search for the electromagnetic interaction of axion-like dark matter in the mass range that spans three decades from 12 peV to 12 neV. The detection scheme is based on a modification of Maxwell's equations in the presence of axion-like dark matter, which mixes with a static magnetic field to produce an oscillating magnetic field. The experiment makes use of toroidal magnets with iron-nickel alloy ferromagnetic powder cores, which enhance the static magnetic field by a factor of 24. Using SQUIDs, we achieve a magnetic sensitivity of 150 $\text{aT}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$, at the level of the most sensitive magnetic field measurements demonstrated with any broadband sensor. We recorded 41 hours of data and improved the best limits on the magnitude of the axion-like dark matter electromagnetic coupling constant over part of our mass range, at 20 peV reaching $4.0 \times 10^{-11} \text{GeV}^{-1}$ (95\% confidence level). Our measurements are starting to explore the coupling strengths and masses of axion-like particles where mixing with photons could explain the anomalous transparency of the universe to TeV gamma-rays.