Searching for dark matter and variation of fundamental constants with laser and maser interferometry

Abstract

Any slight variations in the fundamental constants of Nature, which may be induced by dark matter or some yet-to-be-discovered cosmic field, would characteristically alter the phase of a light beam inside an interferometer, which can be measured extremely precisely. Laser and maser interferometry may be applied to searches for the linear-in-time drift of the fundamental constants, detection of topological defect dark matter through transient-in-time effects and for a relic, coherently oscillating condensate, which consists of scalar dark matter fields, through oscillating effects. Our proposed experiments require either minor or no modifications of existing apparatus, and offer extensive reach into important and unconstrained spaces of physical parameters.

9 pages, including supplemental material, additional references added

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Cited by in corpus (11)

• Neutrino Oscillations as a Probe of Light Scalar Dark Matter
• Constraints on ultralight scalar bosons within black hole spin measurements from LIGO-Virgo's GWTC-2
• Oscillating Spin-2 Dark Matter
• Measuring the stability of fundamental constants with a network of clocks
• Search for the effect of massive bodies on atomic spectra and constraints on Yukawa-type interactions of scalar particles
• Analysis method for detecting topological defect dark matter with a global magnetometer network
• First search for ultralight dark matter with a space-based gravitational-wave antenna: LISA Pathfinder
• Searching for a Fifth Force with Atomic and Nuclear Clocks
• Dynamical Chameleon Neutron Stars: stability, radial oscillations and scalar radiation in spherical symmetry
• Distinguishing between dark-matter interactions with gravitational-wave detectors
• Engineering the sensitivity of macroscopic physical systems to variations in the fine-structure constant