Search for a Dark-Matter-Induced Cosmic Axion Background with ADMX

Journal Article · 08 September 2023 · Physical Review Letters

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.131.101002 · OSTI ID:1999309

Nitta, T.  ^[1]; Braine, T.; Du, N.; Guzzetti, M.; Hanretty, C.; Leum, G.; Rosenberg, L.  J.; Rybka, G.; Sinnis, J.; Clarke, John; Siddiqi, I.; Awida, M.  H.; Chou, A.  S.; Hollister, M.; Knirck, S.; Sonnenschein, A.; Wester, W.; Gleason, J.  R.; Hipp, A.  T.; Sikivie, P. ; Sullivan, N.  S.; Tanner, D.  B.; Khatiwada, R.; Carosi, G.; Robertson, N.; Duffy, L.  D.; Boutan, C.; Lentz, E.; Oblath, N.  S.; Taubman, M.  S.; Yang, J.; Daw, E.  J.; Perry, M.  G.; Bartram, C.; Buckley, J.  H.; Gaikwad, C.; Hoffman, J.; Murch, K.  W.; Goryachev, M.; Hartman, E.; McAllister, B.  T.; Quiskamp, A.; Thomson, C.; Tobar, M.  E.; Dror, J.  A.; Murayama, H.; Rodd, N.  L.

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1. University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States). ADMX Collaboration. et al.

We report the first result of a direct search for a cosmic axion background (CaB)—a relativistic background of axions that is not dark matter—performed with the axion haloscope, the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX). Conventional haloscope analyses search for a signal with a narrow bandwidth, as predicted for dark matter, whereas the CaB will be broad. We introduce a novel analysis strategy, which searches for a CaB induced daily modulation in the power measured by the haloscope. Using this, we repurpose data collected to search for dark matter to set a limit on the axion photon coupling of a CaB originating from dark matter cascade decay via a mediator in the 800–995 MHz frequency range. We find that the present sensitivity is limited by fluctuations in the cavity readout as the instrument scans across dark matter masses. Nevertheless, we suggest that these challenges can be surmounted using superconducting qubits as single photon counters, and allow ADMX to operate as a telescope searching for axions emerging from the decay of dark matter. The daily modulation analysis technique we introduce can be deployed for various broadband rf signals, such as other forms of a CaB or even high-frequency gravitational waves.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program
• Contributing Organization: ADMX Collaboration
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359; SC0009800; SC0009723; SC0010296; SC0010280; SC0011665; FG02-97ER41029; FG02-96ER40956; C03-76SF00098; SC0017987; AC05-76RL01830; AC52-07NA27344; DESC0009723; DEFG02-97ER41029; DEFG02-96ER40956; DEC03-76SF00098; AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1999309
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1969688; OSTI ID: 2305518; OSTI ID: 2345122; OSTI ID: 2396858
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-PUB-23-109-PPD-SQMS; arXiv:2303.06282; LLNL-JRNL-845987; PNNL-SA-185846; oai:inspirehep.net:2641494; TRN: US2313431
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 131, Issue 10; ISSN 0031-9007
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English