Searching for axion-like particles with atomic comagnetometers

Axion-like particles (ALPs) arise from extensions to the Standard Model and are among the most promising dark matter candidates [1]. In addition to other hypothetical interactions, ALPs could couple to baryonic spins via a pseudomagnetic interaction. Atomic comagnetometers provide an effective platform to search for such interactions, as they suppress magnetic noise while remaining sensitive to exotic couplings.

 

In this talk, I will discuss the working principles and search objectives of two ALP-sensitive sensors. In Kraków, a self-compensating K-3He comagnetometer, developed as part of the GNOME Collaboration, aims to detect ALP dark matter [2]. Meanwhile, a comagnetometer based on a 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensate [3], currently under construction at ICFO in Barcelona, Spain, will probe ALP-mediated monopole-dipole interactions at previously unexplored length scales.

 

References:

[1] F. Chadha-Day, J. Ellis, and D. J. E. Marsh, enAxion dark matter: What is it and why now?, Science Advances 8, eabj3618 (2022).

[2] D. Gavilan-Martin, G. Lukasiewicz, M. Padniuk, E. Klinger, M. Smolis, et al.,

Searching for dark matter with a 1000 km baseline interferometer (2024),

arXiv:2408.02668.

[3] P. Gomez, F. Martin, C. Mazzinghi, D. Benedicto Orenes, S. Palacios, and M. W.

Mitchell, Bose-Einstein Condensate Comagnetometer, Physical Review Letters

124, 170401 (2020).