Collaborative Research: PM: RUI - Searches for Ultralight Bosonic Dark Matter with Atomic Magnetometer Networks

合作研究：PM：RUI - 使用原子磁力计网络搜索超轻玻色暗物质

• 批准号: 2110388
• 负责人: Derek Kimball
• 金额: $ 31.5万
• 依托单位: California State University, East Bay Foundation, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2110388&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; PM; RUI; Searches

Astrophysical observations indicate that up to 85% of the matter in the universe is unlike the matter that makes up our everyday world. What is this so-called dark matter? The answer to that question remains a mystery. One possibility is that dark matter could be in the form of large-scale structures (many times the size of the Earth) that couple weakly to ordinary matter. Another possibility is that the dark matter could be in the form of waves of varying intensity. If such structures or waves were to pass through the Earth they might interact with atoms and cause effects similar to those from a magnetic field. This grant will provide support for three undergraduate institutions, California State University – East Bay, Oberlin College, and Bucknell University, to work with an international team to search for dark matter of this kind. The Global Network of Optical Magnetometers to search for Exotic physics (GNOME) is a collaboration of fifteen institutions throughout the world that have constructed precision atomic magnetometers that are capable of detecting such signals from dark matter. The data from the magnetometer network are analyzed to look for correlations that would indicate the Earth’s passage through dark matter structures or waves. The principal investigators will work with undergraduate students to develop more sensitive detectors for the network, analyze the network data, and work with the worldwide collaboration to detect dark matter. These measurements will give insight into the possible forms of dark matter and lead to a better understanding of the makeup of our universe while providing crucial research experience and training for the next generation of scientists. A well-motivated candidate for dark matter consists of ultralight bosons such as axions, axion-like particles (ALPs), or hidden photons with very low mass (much less than 1 eV). Ultralight bosonic fields can form stable, macroscopic configurations such as topological defects or boson stars due to, for example, self-interactions. Even in the absence of such effects, bosonic dark matter fields exhibit stochastic fluctuations. Additionally, it is possible that cataclysmic astrophysical events could produce intense bursts of exotic ultralight bosonic fields. In any of these scenarios, instead of being bathed in a uniform flux, terrestrial detectors will witness transient events when ultralight bosonic fields pass through Earth. The Global Network of Optical Magnetometers to search for Exotic physics (GNOME) is a network of more than a dozen time-synchronized optical atomic magnetometers searching for correlated signals that is sensitive to transient signals due to spin-dependent interactions with ultralight bosonic fields. GNOME magnetometers have multi-layer magnetic shields that reduce external magnetic noise but allow most types of bosonic dark matter to penetrate within with no loss of sensitivity. A prominent exception is hidden photons, whose signals can be significantly reduced by shielding. To search for hidden photon dark matter, the principal investigators and undergraduate researchers will construct a new network of unshielded magnetometers, based on the GNOME architecture, located in magnetically quiet environments. The proposed experiments will probe a wide range of unexplored parameter space describing ultralight bosonic fields.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

天体物理观察表明，宇宙中多达85％的物质与构成我们日常世界的问题不同。这个所谓的暗物质是什么？这个问题的答案仍然是一个谜。一种可能性是，暗物质可能是以大规模结构的形式（很多倍地球大小）的形式，这些结构与普通物质微弱。另一种可能性是，暗物质可以是强度不同的波浪形式。如果这样的结构或波通过地球，它们可能与原子相互作用，并引起与磁场相似的作用。该赠款将为三个本科机构，加利福尼亚州立大学 - 东湾，奥伯林学院和巴克内尔大学提供支持，以与国际团队一起寻找这种暗物质。搜索异国物理学（GNOME）的光学磁力计的全球网络是全世界15个机构的合作，这些机构构建了精确的原子磁力计，能够从暗物质中检测到此类信号。分析了来自磁力计网络的数据，以寻找可以指示地球通过暗物质结构或波浪的相关性。首席研究人员将与本科生合作，为网络开发更敏感的探测器，分析网络数据并与全球合作合作以检测暗物质。这些测量将使您可以深入了解暗物质的可能形式，并可以更好地理解我们宇宙的构成，同时为下一代科学家提供重要的研究经验和培训。深色物质动机的候选者由轴，轴，类颗粒（阿尔卑斯山）或质量非常低的隐藏照片组成（小于1 eV）。超轻的骨磁场可以形成稳定的宏观构型，例如拓扑缺陷或玻色子星，例如自我交织。即使在没有这种影响的情况下，骨髓暗物质场也暴露了随机波动。此外，灾难性的天体物理事件可能会产生强烈的异国情调的超轻骨田。在任何这些情况下，当超轻质玻色田穿过地球时，地面探测器都不会在均匀的通量中沐浴，而是见证了短暂的事件。用于搜索外来物理学的光学磁力计的全局网络（GNOME）是一个由十几个时间同步的光原子磁力计的网络，该网络由于与超轻质肺门的自旋依赖性相互作用而引起的相关信号，该网络搜索相关信号，该信号敏感。 GNOME磁力计具有多层磁性屏蔽，可减少外部磁噪声，但允许大多数类型的玻体暗物质在内部穿透而不会损失灵敏度。隐藏的照片是一个突出的例外，其信号可以通过屏蔽大大降低。为了搜索隐藏的光子暗物质，主要研究人员和本科研究人员将根据位于磁性安静的环境中的GNOME体系结构来构建一个新的非屏蔽磁力计网络。拟议的实验将探究描述超轻质骨骼领域的各种意外参数空间。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，认为通过评估被认为是珍贵的支持。

项目成果

Spectral signatures of axionlike dark matter

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.105.035029
• 发表时间: 2021-07
• 期刊: Physical Review D
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: A. Gramolin;A. Wickenbrock;Deniz Aybas;H. Bekker;D. Budker;Gary P. Centers;N. L. Figueroa;Derek F. Jackson Kimball;A. Sushkov

Probing fundamental physics with spin-based quantum sensors

• DOI: 10.1103/physreva.108.010101
• 发表时间: 2023-07
• 期刊: Physical Review A
• 影响因子: 2.9
• 作者: Derek F. Jackson Kimball;D. Budker;T. Chupp;A. Geraci;S. Kolkowitz;Jaideep T. Singh;A. Sushkov

Earth as a transducer for axion dark-matter detection

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.105.095007
• 发表时间: 2021-12
• 期刊: Physical Review D
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: Ariel Arza;M. Fedderke;P. Graham;Derek F. Jackson Kimball;Saarik Kalia

Testing Gravity’s Effect on Quantum Spins

测试重力对量子自旋的影响

• DOI: 10.1103/physics.16.80
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Physics
• 影响因子: 1.6
• 作者: Kimball, Derek F.

Intensity interferometry for ultralight bosonic dark matter detection

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.108.015003
• 发表时间: 2022-02
• 期刊: Physical Review D
• 影响因子: 5
• 作者: H. Masia-Roig;N. L. Figueroa;Ariday Bordon;Joseph A. Smiga;Y. Stadnik;D. Budker;Gary P. Centers;A. Gramolin;P. Hamilton;Sami Khamis;C. Palm;S. Pustelny;A. Sushkov;A. Wickenbrock;Derek F. Jackson Kimball