arXiv · 2607.15612
Enhanced Rydberg-Atom Superheterodyne Detection of Hidden-Photon Dark Matter on Chips
Abstract
Although hidden-photon dark matter with masses above $10^{-4}\,\mathrm{eV}$ is well motivated by inflationary production, it remains largely unexplored by terrestrial experiments. Through kinetic mixing, hidden photons induce a weak oscillating electric field above $10\,\mathrm{GHz}$. We propose to amplify this signal using a compact high-frequency distributed cavity and detect it with chip-scale Rydberg-atom superheterodyne spectroscopy. Combining resonant enhancement, large dipole moments of Rydberg atoms, and long-term stable integration, this approach can probe hidden-photon dark matter in the mass range $5 \times 10^{-5}\text{--}7\times 10^{-4}\,\mathrm{eV}$ with sensitivities $3$--$4$ orders of magnitude beyond existing limits.
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Xiaochen Li, Bo Gao, Shigeki Matsumoto, Jie Sheng, Chuan-Yang Xing, Hong Ding. 2026-07-17. Enhanced Rydberg-Atom Superheterodyne Detection of Hidden-Photon Dark Matter on Chips. https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.15612
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