Collaborative Research: PM: RUI - Searches for Ultralight Bosonic Dark Matter with Atomic Magnetometer Networks

合作研究：PM：RUI - 使用原子磁力计网络搜索超轻玻色暗物质

基本信息

批准号：
2110388
负责人：
Derek Kimball
金额：
$ 31.5万
依托单位：
California State University, East Bay Foundation, Inc.
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2021-09-01 至 2024-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2110388&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative Research PM RUI Searches

项目摘要

Astrophysical observations indicate that up to 85% of the matter in the universe is unlike the matter that makes up our everyday world. What is this so-called dark matter? The answer to that question remains a mystery. One possibility is that dark matter could be in the form of large-scale structures (many times the size of the Earth) that couple weakly to ordinary matter. Another possibility is that the dark matter could be in the form of waves of varying intensity. If such structures or waves were to pass through the Earth they might interact with atoms and cause effects similar to those from a magnetic field. This grant will provide support for three undergraduate institutions, California State University – East Bay, Oberlin College, and Bucknell University, to work with an international team to search for dark matter of this kind. The Global Network of Optical Magnetometers to search for Exotic physics (GNOME) is a collaboration of fifteen institutions throughout the world that have constructed precision atomic magnetometers that are capable of detecting such signals from dark matter. The data from the magnetometer network are analyzed to look for correlations that would indicate the Earth’s passage through dark matter structures or waves. The principal investigators will work with undergraduate students to develop more sensitive detectors for the network, analyze the network data, and work with the worldwide collaboration to detect dark matter. These measurements will give insight into the possible forms of dark matter and lead to a better understanding of the makeup of our universe while providing crucial research experience and training for the next generation of scientists. A well-motivated candidate for dark matter consists of ultralight bosons such as axions, axion-like particles (ALPs), or hidden photons with very low mass (much less than 1 eV). Ultralight bosonic fields can form stable, macroscopic configurations such as topological defects or boson stars due to, for example, self-interactions. Even in the absence of such effects, bosonic dark matter fields exhibit stochastic fluctuations. Additionally, it is possible that cataclysmic astrophysical events could produce intense bursts of exotic ultralight bosonic fields. In any of these scenarios, instead of being bathed in a uniform flux, terrestrial detectors will witness transient events when ultralight bosonic fields pass through Earth. The Global Network of Optical Magnetometers to search for Exotic physics (GNOME) is a network of more than a dozen time-synchronized optical atomic magnetometers searching for correlated signals that is sensitive to transient signals due to spin-dependent interactions with ultralight bosonic fields. GNOME magnetometers have multi-layer magnetic shields that reduce external magnetic noise but allow most types of bosonic dark matter to penetrate within with no loss of sensitivity. A prominent exception is hidden photons, whose signals can be significantly reduced by shielding. To search for hidden photon dark matter, the principal investigators and undergraduate researchers will construct a new network of unshielded magnetometers, based on the GNOME architecture, located in magnetically quiet environments. The proposed experiments will probe a wide range of unexplored parameter space describing ultralight bosonic fields.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

天体物理学观测表明，宇宙中高达 85% 的物质与构成我们日常世界的物质不同，这个问题的答案仍然是个谜。另一种可能性是，暗物质可能以不同强度的波的形式存在，如果这种结构或波存在的话。它们穿过地球时可能会与原子相互作用并产生影响与来自磁场的暗物质类似，这笔赠款将为加州州立大学东湾分校、欧柏林学院和巴克内尔大学这三所本科院校提供支持，以与国际团队合作寻找此类暗物质。寻找奇异物理的光学磁力计 (GNOME) 是世界各地 15 个机构的合作项目，这些机构构建了能够检测来自暗物质的此类信号的精密原子磁力计。分析来自磁力计网络的数据以寻找相关性。将表明地球穿过暗物质结构或波。主要研究人员将与本科生合作，为网络开发更灵敏的探测器，分析网络数据，并与全球合作探测暗物质。这些测量将深入了解可能的情况。暗物质的形式，可以更好地了解我们宇宙的构成，同时为下一代科学家提供重要的研究经验和培训。暗物质的候选者包括轴子、类轴子粒子等超轻玻色子。（碱性磷酸酶），或质量非常低（远小于 1 eV）的隐藏光子，由于自相互作用等原因，超轻玻色子场可以形成稳定的宏观构型，例如拓扑缺陷或玻色子星。此外，在任何这些情况下，灾难性的天体物理事件都可能产生强烈的超光玻色子场，而不是沐浴在统一的环境中。当超轻玻色子场穿过地球时，地面探测器将目睹瞬态事件，用于搜索奇异物理的全球光学磁力计网络（GNOME）是一个由十多个时间同步光学原子磁力计组成的网络，用于搜索相关信号。由于与超轻玻色子场的自旋相关相互作用，GNOME 磁力计对瞬态信号敏感，它具有多层磁屏蔽，可减少外部磁噪声，但允许大多数类型的玻色子暗物质穿透。一个突出的例外是隐藏光子，其信号可以通过屏蔽而显着减少，主要研究人员和本科生研究人员将基于 GNOME 构建一个新的非屏蔽磁力计网络。所提出的实验将探索描述超轻玻色子场的各种未探索的参数空间。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和评估进行评估，被认为值得支持。更广泛的影响审查标准。

项目成果

期刊论文数量（9）

专著数量（0）

科研奖励数量（0）

会议论文数量（0）

专利数量（0）

Optimization of Nuclear Polarization in an Alkali-Noble Gas Comagnetometer

DOI：
10.1103/physrevapplied.19.044092
发表时间：
2022-10-14
期刊：
Physical Review Applied
影响因子：
4.6
作者：
E. Klinger;T. Liu;M. Padniuk;M. Engler;T. Kornack;S. Pustelny;Derek F. Jackson Kimball;D. Budker;A. Wickenbrock
通讯作者：
A. Wickenbrock

Spectral signatures of axionlike dark matter

轴子状暗物质的光谱特征

DOI：
10.1103/physrevd.105.035029
发表时间：
2021-07-26
期刊：
Physical Review D
影响因子：
5
作者：
A. Gramolin;A. Wickenbrock;Deniz Aybas;H. Bekker;D. Budker;Gary P. Centers;N. L. Figueroa;Derek F. Jackson Kimball;A. Sushkov
通讯作者：
A. Sushkov

What Can a GNOME Do? Search Targets for the Global Network of Optical Magnetometers for Exotic Physics Searches

GNOME 可以做什么？用于奇异物理搜索的全球光磁力计网络的搜索目标

DOI：
10.1002/andp.202300083
发表时间：
2023-07
期刊：
Annalen der Physik
影响因子：
2.4
作者：
Afach, Samer;Aybas Tumturk, Deniz;Bekker, Hendrik;Buchler, Ben C.;Budker, Dmitry;Cervantes, Kaleb;Derevianko, Andrei;Eby, Joshua;Figueroa, Nataniel L.;Folman, Ron;et al
通讯作者：
et al

Earth as a transducer for axion dark-matter detection

地球作为轴子暗物质探测的换能器

DOI：
10.1103/physrevd.105.095007
发表时间：
2021-12-17
期刊：
Physical Review D
影响因子：
5
作者：
Ariel Arza;M. Fedderke;P. Graham;Derek F. Jackson Kimball;Saarik Kalia
通讯作者：
Saarik Kalia

Probing fundamental physics with spin-based quantum sensors

使用基于自旋的量子传感器探测基础物理

DOI：
10.1103/physreva.108.010101
发表时间：
2023-07-17
期刊：
Physical Review A
影响因子：
2.9
作者：
Derek F. Jackson Kimball;D. Budker;T. Chupp;A. Geraci;S. Kolkowitz;Jaideep T. Singh;A. Sushkov
通讯作者：
A. Sushkov