First results of the Laser-Interferometric Detector for Axions (LIDA)

Abstract

We present the operating principle and the first observing run of a novel kind of direct detector for axions and axion-like particles in the galactic halo. Sensitive to the polarisation rotation of linearly polarised laser light induced by an axion field, our experiment is the first detector of its kind collecting scientific data. We discuss our current peak sensitivity of $1.51\times 10^{-10}$ ${\text{GeV}}^{-1}$ (95 % confidence level) to the axion-photon coupling strength in the axion mass range of $1.97$-$2.01$ $\text{neV}$ which is, for instance, motivated by supersymmetric grand-unified theories. We also report on effects that arise in our high-finesse in-vacuum cavity at an unprecedented optical continuous-wave intensity of $4.7$ ${\text{MW/cm}}^2$. Our detector already belongs to the most sensitive direct searches within its measurement band, and our results pave the way towards surpassing the current sensitivity limits in the mass range from $10^{-8}$ $\text{eV}$ down to $10^{-16}$ $\text{eV}$ via quantum-enhanced laser interferometry.

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Cited by in corpus (10)

• First results from the Axion Dark-Matter Birefringent Cavity (ADBC) experiment
• Prospects for Axion Dark Matter Searches at LISA-like Interferometers
• A Light QCD Axion with Hilltop Misalignment
• Quantum enhanced balanced heterodyne readout for differential interferometry
• Detectability of the chiral gravitational wave background from audible axions with the LISA-Taiji network
• Photon counting for axion interferometry
• DarkGEO: A Large-Scale Laser-Interferometric Axion Detector
• Resonant enhancement of axion dark matter decay
• Detectability of axion-like dark matter for different time-delay interferometry combinations in space-based gravitational wave detectors
• Adjusting optical cavity birefringence with wavelength tunable laser for axion searches