10–13 Jan 2017
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
US/Pacific timezone

The QUAX experiment

12 Jan 2017, 11:15
35m
LVOC - Yosemite Room (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

LVOC - Yosemite Room

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Speaker

Dr Nicolò Crescini (Univesity of Padua)

Description

We present a proposal to search for QCD axions with mass in the 200 μeV range, assuming that they make a dominant component of dark matter. Due to the axion-electron spin coupling, their effect is equivalent to the application of an oscillating rf field with frequency and amplitude fixed by the axion mass and coupling respectively. This equivalent magnetic field would produce spin flips in a magnetic sample placed inside a static magnetic field, which determines the resonant interaction at the Larmor frequency. Spin flips would subsequently emit radio frequency photons that can be detected by a suitable quantum counter in an ultra-cryogenic environment. An updated report of the experimental results will be presented, together with a projection of future improvements to be tested.

Primary author

Dr Nicolò Crescini (Univesity of Padua)

Presentation materials