NSF-BSF: Development of High-Precision Atomic Methods and Dark Matter Searches

在银河系和更大尺度上的大量观测数据，不能基于“正常重力”框架下观测到的物质含量来解释。普遍的观点是，看不见的“暗物质”支配着宇宙的物质内容。该项目将探索研究暗物质性质的新方法，暗物质是21世纪最令人困惑的科学问题之一。这项研究的首要目标是提供一些迫切需要的理论结果，这些结果对于充分利用基于原子的量子技术的革命性进步是必要的，这些技术是探索新物理的新前沿。将开发的工具，特别是在理解原子结构计算和与新物理模型有关的理论概念以及如何对它们进行基准方面，将对社区具有深远的用途。这项工作将对量子信息的应用和量子传感器的开发、基本对称性的研究、从原子光谱学确定核性质、天体物理、等离子体物理等方面具有重要意义。该项目将引领新一代原子精密测量，旨在探索标准模型之外的物理，特别是暗物质(DM)的搜索。以前的假设是，光学原子钟的比例只通过精细结构常数的变化而对光子-DM耦合敏感。这个项目将探索由于电荷半径的振荡，光学钟对强子部分的额外敏感性。此外，这些时钟不仅对标量暗物质敏感，而且对高度激发的伪标量轴子和类轴子(APL)粒子也很敏感。要开发对这些强子DM耦合的敏感性，需要了解场移常数，这些常量可以用本项目中将要开发的方法来计算。PI将探索不同时钟，包括高电荷态离子，对这些新效应的敏感性。该项目的目标是(1)开发用量子传感器探测超轻暗物质(UDM)的新范例，(2)开发特定UDM模型的现象学，以及(3)开发方法，以显著提高设计和解释实验所需的原子理论的精度。该项目由原子、分子和光学物理理论计划和既定的刺激竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Plentiful observational data on galactic and larger scales cannot be explained based on the observed matter content in the framework of “normal gravity.” The prevailing view is that invisible “dark matter” dominates the matter content of the Universe. This project will explore new ways to study the nature of dark matter, which is one of the most puzzling scientific questions of the 21st century. The overarching goal of the research is to provide a number of dearly needed theoretical results that are necessary to take full advantage of the revolutionary progress in atom-based quantum technologies that are a new frontier in searches for new physics. The tools that will be developed, especially in understanding atomic structure calculations and theoretical concepts related to new physics models and how to benchmark them, will have far-reaching use for the community. The work will be important for applications in quantum information and the development of quantum sensors, studies of fundamental symmetries, determination of nuclear properties from atomic spectroscopy, astrophysics, plasma physics, and others.The project will spearhead a new generation of atomic precision measurements aimed at searches for physics beyond the Standard Model with a particular focus on dark matter (DM) searches. It was previously assumed that the ratio of the optical atomic clocks is only sensitive to photon-DM coupling via the variation of the fine-structure constant. This project will explore additional sensitivities of optical clocks to the hadronic sector due to the oscillation of the charge radius. Moreover, the clocks are sensitive not only to scalar dark matter but also to highly motivated pseudo-scalar axion and axion-like (APL) particles. Exploiting sensitivities to these hadronic DM couplings requires knowledge of the field shift constants that can be computed with the methods that will be developed in this project. The PI will explore the sensitivities of different clocks, including highly charged ions, to these new effects. The goals of the project are to (1) develop new paradigms for the detection of ultralight dark matter (UDM) with quantum sensors, (2) develop the phenomenology of specific UDM models, and (3) develop methods to significantly increase the precision of the atomic theory needed for the design and interpretation of experiments.This project is jointly funded by the Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Theory Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.