Search for ultralight dark matter with quantum sensors

by Mr Jordan Gué (SYRTE, Observatoire de Paris, PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, LNE)

Wednesday 4 Oct 2023, 11:30 → 12:30 Europe/Zurich

4/2-011 - TH common room (CERN)

In this talk, I will present various experiments aiming at detecting ultralight dark matter fields using quantum sensors. In the first part, I present a new proposed experiment based on 1) the application of a strong electric field inside a microwave cavity and 2) electrometry using Rydberg atoms. This kind of experiment could be extremely useful at detecting dark photons. The sensitivity of this experiment is significantly enhanced around the resonances of the cavity. This experiment could improve the current constraint on the coupling constant of the dark photons to Standard Model photons in the μeV mass range. In the second part, I present a theoretical investigation of the expected signals produced by free falling atoms with time oscillating mass and transition frequency. These oscillations could be produced in a variety of models, in particular, models of scalar dark matter non universally coupled to the standard matter such as axion-like particles and dilatons. On one hand, these oscillations would induce a non universal acceleration for macroscopic bodies; and on the other hand, they would produce a non-zero differential phase shift in an atom interferometer. In this framework, I will show that already existing experiments could put the best laboratory constraints on these dark matter models. Additionally, I will present a new experimental variation of compact gradiometers which would be very sensitive to these dark matter candidates and which could test the universality of free fall at an unprecedented level.