Vector Dark Matter Detection using the Quantum Jump of Atoms

Abstract

The hidden sector U(1) vector bosons created from inflationary fluctuations can be a substantial fraction of dark matter if their mass is around $10^{-5}$eV. The creation mechanism makes the vector bosons' energy spectral density ${\rho }_{cdm}/\Delta E$ very high. Therefore, the dark electric dipole transition rate in atoms is boosted if the energy gap between atomic states equals the mass of the vector bosons. By using the Zeeman effect, the energy gap between the 2S state and the 2P state in hydrogen atoms or hydrogen like ions can be tuned. The $2S$ state can be populated with electrons due to its relatively long life, which is about $1/7$s. When the energy gap between the semi-ground $2S$ state and the 2P state matches the mass of the cosmic vector bosons, induced transitions occur and the 2P state subsequently decays into the 1S state. The $2P\to 1S$ decay emitted Lyman-$\alpha$ photons can then be registered. The choices of target atoms depend on the experimental facilities and the mass ranges of the vector bosons. Because the mass of the vector boson is connected to the inflation scale, the proposed experiment may provide a probe to inflation.

5 pages, 3 figures; references added; matches version published in PLB

References in corpus (8)

• Dark Matter Results from 225 Live Days of XENON100 Data
• First Dark Matter Search Results from the XENON1T Experiment
• The RAVE Survey: Constraining the Local Galactic Escape Speed
• Search for Low-Mass WIMPs with SuperCDMS
• Vector Dark Matter from Inflationary Fluctuations
• A Cavity Experiment to Search for Hidden Sector Photons
• A Search for Hidden Sector Photons with ADMX
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Cited by in corpus (9)

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• Conformal vector dark matter and strongly first-order electroweak phase transition
• Probing Cosmic Axions through Resonant Emission and Absorption in Atomic Systems with Superradiance
• DAMPE Excess from Leptophilic Vector Dark Matter: Model Independent Approach
• Probing Dark Matter Axions using the Hyperfine Structure Splitting of Hydrogen Atoms
• Dark photon searches with atomic transitions
• Broadband Dark Matter Axion Detection using a Cylindrical Capacitor
• Generalised hydrogen interactions with $\text{CINCO}$: a window to new physics
• Dark matter pair absorption