权益分类	功能权益	普通用户	{{item.name}}会员
{{category.name}}	{{benefitItem.name}}

Quantum Sensing for the Hidden Sector (QSHS)

隐藏领域的量子传感 (QSHS)

基本信息

批准号：
ST/T006102/1
负责人：
Yuri Pashkin
金额：
$ 76.01万
依托单位：
Lancaster University
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2021 至无数据
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FT006102%2F1
关键词：
Quantum Sensing Hidden Sector QSHS

项目摘要

Identifying the nature of the dark matter that dominates the mass distribution of galaxies and that plays a key role in our understanding of cosmology is a central unsolved problem of modern physics. Attention over the past 30+ years has focused on weakly interacting dark matter (WIMPs); however, a smaller but active community has been searching instead for 'hidden-sector' particles, including the 'QCD axion', using some of the world's most sensitive electronics. Axions were invoked to solve the so-called strong-CP problem, whereby the theory governing strong interactions is far more symmetric than our current theory, quantum chromodynamics, say it should be. But axions also turn out to be a natural candidate for the mysterious dark matter. Theory suggests that axions should be detectable through the tiny signals they emit, about a millionth of an attowatt, while traversing a microwave cavity in a strong magnetic field. These signals are at the limit of what can be detected using even cryogenically-cooled ultra-low-noise electronics, but in the past few years, rapid progress in developing newer and more sensitive quantum sensors, fueled by parallel research in quantum computing and measurement, has placed the detection of axions within our reach. The UK has considerable expertise in these new quantum devices, and this proposal aims to apply these pivotal new measurement technologies to the search for hidden sector particles. Our proposed search has two main parts. First, we have reached out to the world's most sensitive axion search experiment, ADMX, proposing to form a UK-USA collaboration. ADMX has welcomed this approach, and is keenly encouraging our participation. The UK will design and install a new axion detector inside the magnet and cryostat that ADMX already operate. Using this detector, we will search for axions in our Galaxy's dark matter halo in a previously unexplored mass range between 25 and 40 micro-electron volts. This range is well matched to indications from current theories of what the axion mass might be, although the possible range of masses is far larger, and so there is a great deal of ground to cover. The UK instrument will have at its heart one of our own superconducting quantum measurement technologies - a bolometric detector, a coherent parametric amplifier, a SQUID based amplifier, or a qubit based photon counting device. The technology to be used will be selected after extensive characterisation at participating institutes. The chosen technology will then be integrated into the ADMX instrument module, which will be characterised in a dedicated 10 mK cryostat at the University of Sheffield. This same cryostat will then double as the first target in the UK high-field low-temperature test facility that forms the second part of our proposal.Second, an internationally competitive UK effort in hidden sector physics needs a world class UK facility incorporating an extremely high field magnet: several times larger than those used for MRI imaging in health care. Such a magnet is necessary for axion searches, and axions are arguably the best motivated hidden sector dark matter candidate. The bore of the magnet needs to be very cold for the quantum electronics to work, about 10mK. We will partner with a national laboratory to build and operate a UK facility meeting these specifications. Many hidden sector search experiments could be housed in this facility, but the first one will be our own low-temperature quantum-spectrometer.Finally, to help maintain the UK's international prominence in fundamental physics, we must create a research community. Hidden sector physics is a rapidly growing subject, and the discovery of a whole new class of particles would drive particle physics into a new era, and quantum electronics into new applications and markets. We believe that the technology and techniques developed will have applications in areas as diverse as quantum computing, communications and radar.

暗物质主导着星系的质量分布，在我们对宇宙学的理解中起着关键作用，确定暗物质的性质是现代物理学中一个尚未解决的核心问题。过去30多年的注意力集中在弱相互作用暗物质（wimp）上；然而，一个较小但活跃的团体一直在使用世界上一些最敏感的电子设备寻找“隐藏区”粒子，包括“QCD轴子”。轴子被用来解决所谓的强cp问题，根据这个问题，控制强相互作用的理论比我们目前的量子色动力学理论要对称得多。但轴子也被证明是神秘暗物质的自然候选者。理论认为，当轴子在强磁场中穿过微波腔时，它们发出的微弱信号（约为百万分之一阿瓦）应该可以被探测到。即使使用低温冷却的超低噪声电子设备也无法探测到这些信号，但在过去的几年里，在量子计算和测量的并行研究的推动下，开发更新、更灵敏的量子传感器的快速进展，已经使我们能够探测轴子。英国在这些新型量子设备方面拥有相当多的专业知识，该提案旨在将这些关键的新测量技术应用于寻找隐藏的扇形粒子。我们建议的搜索有两个主要部分。首先，我们联系了世界上最敏感的轴子搜索实验机构ADMX，提议与英国和美国合作。ADMX欢迎这种做法，并强烈鼓励我们的参与。英国将设计并安装一个新的轴子探测器在磁铁和低温恒温器，ADMX已经运行。使用这个探测器，我们将在银河系暗物质晕中寻找轴子，其质量范围在25到40微电子伏特之间，这是以前未被探索过的。这个范围与目前关于轴子质量可能是多少的理论很好地吻合，尽管可能的质量范围要大得多，因此还有很多工作要做。英国仪器的核心将是我们自己的超导量子测量技术之一-一个热测量探测器，一个相干参数放大器，一个基于SQUID的放大器，或一个基于量子比特的光子计数装置。所使用的技术将在参与机构进行广泛的特征描述后进行选择。选定的技术将集成到ADMX仪器模块中，该模块将在谢菲尔德大学的专用10mk低温恒温器中进行表征。这个低温恒温器将作为英国高场低温测试设施的第一个目标，这是我们提案的第二部分。其次，要想在隐藏领域的物理领域取得国际竞争力，英国需要一个世界级的设施，其中包括极高磁场的磁铁：比医疗领域用于核磁共振成像的磁铁大几倍。这样的磁体对于寻找轴子是必要的，轴子可以说是最有动力的隐藏区域暗物质候选者。磁体的孔需要非常冷才能使量子电子工作，大约10mK。我们将与一个国家实验室合作，建立和运营一个符合这些规范的英国设施。许多隐藏扇区搜索实验可以在这个设施中进行，但第一个实验将是我们自己的低温量子光谱仪。最后，为了保持英国在基础物理学领域的国际地位，我们必须建立一个研究共同体。隐藏领域物理学是一门快速发展的学科，发现一类全新的粒子将推动粒子物理学进入一个新时代，量子电子学将进入新的应用和市场。我们相信，所开发的技术和技术将在量子计算、通信和雷达等多种领域得到应用。