Quantum Sensors for the Hidden Sector

隐藏领域的量子传感器

• 批准号: ST/T006625/2
• 负责人: Stafford Withington
• 金额: $ 86.26万
• 依托单位: University of Oxford
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FT006625%2F2
• 关键词: Quantum; Sensors; Hidden; Sector

Identifying the nature of the dark matter that dominates the mass distribution of galaxies and that plays a key role in our understanding of cosmology is a central unsolved problem of modern physics. Attention over the past 30+ years has focused on weakly interacting dark matter (WIMPs); however, a smaller but active community has been searching instead for 'hidden-sector' particles, including the 'QCD axion', using some of the world's most sensitive electronics. Axions were invoked to solve the so-called strong-CP problem, whereby the theory governing strong interactions is far more symmetric than our current theory, quantum chromodynamics, say it should be. But axions also turn out to be a natural candidate for the mysterious dark matter. Theory suggests that axions should be detectable through the tiny signals they emit, about a millionth of an attowatt, while traversing a microwave cavity in a strong magnetic field. These signals are at the limit of what can be detected using even cryogenically-cooled ultra-low-noise electronics, but in the past few years, rapid progress in developing newer and more sensitive quantum sensors, fueled by parallel research in quantum computing and measurement, has placed the detection of axions within our reach. The UK has considerable expertise in these new quantum devices, and this proposal aims to apply these pivotal new measurement technologies to the search for hidden sector particles. Our proposed search has two main parts. First, we have reached out to the world's most sensitive axion search experiment, ADMX, proposing to form a UK-USA collaboration. ADMX has welcomed this approach, and is keenly encouraging our participation. The UK will design and install a new axion detector inside the magnet and cryostat that ADMX already operate. Using this detector, we will search for axions in our Galaxy's dark matter halo in a previously unexplored mass range between 25 and 40 micro-electron volts. This range is well matched to indications from current theories of what the axion mass might be, although the possible range of masses is far larger, and so there is a great deal of ground to cover. The UK instrument will have at its heart one of our own superconducting quantum measurement technologies - a bolometric detector, a coherent parametric amplifier, a SQUID based amplifier, or a qubit based photon counting device. The technology to be used will be selected after extensive characterisation at participating institutes. The chosen technology will then be integrated into the ADMX instrument module, which will be characterised in a dedicated 10 mK cryostat at the University of Sheffield. This same cryostat will then double as the first target in the UK high-field low-temperature test facility that forms the second part of our proposal.Second, an internationally competitive UK effort in hidden sector physics needs a world class UK facility incorporating an extremely high field magnet: several times larger than those used for MRI imaging in health care. Such a magnet is necessary for axion searches, and axions are arguably the best motivated hidden sector dark matter candidate. The bore of the magnet needs to be very cold for the quantum electronics to work, about 10mK. We will partner with a national laboratory to build and operate a UK facility meeting these specifications. Many hidden sector search experiments could be housed in this facility, but the first one will be our own low-temperature quantum-spectrometer.Finally, to help maintain the UK's international prominence in fundamental physics, we must create a research community. Hidden sector physics is a rapidly growing subject, and the discovery of a whole new class of particles would drive particle physics into a new era, and quantum electronics into new applications and markets. We believe that the technology and techniques developed will have applications in areas as diverse as quantum computing, communications and radar.

识别主导星系质量分布并在我们理解宇宙学中发挥关键作用的暗物质的本质是现代物理学的一个未解决的核心问题。过去 30 多年来，人们的注意力一直集中在弱相互作用暗物质 (WIMP) 上；然而，一个规模较小但活跃的社区一直在使用一些世界上最敏感的电子设备来寻找“隐藏扇区”粒子，包括“QCD轴子”。轴子被用来解决所谓的强CP问题，即控制强相互作用的理论比我们当前的理论（量子色动力学）更加对称。但轴子也被证明是神秘暗物质的自然候选者。理论表明，轴子在穿过强磁场中的微波腔时，应该可以通过它们发出的大约百万分之一瓦的微小信号来检测。即使使用低温冷却的超低噪声电子设备，这些信号也达到了检测的极限，但在过去几年中，在量子计算和测量并行研究的推动下，开发更新、更灵敏的量子传感器取得了快速进展。 ，使轴子的探测变得触手可及。英国在这些新型量子设备方面拥有丰富的专业知识，该提案旨在将这些关键的新测量技术应用于寻找隐藏的扇形粒子。我们提议的搜索有两个主要部分。首先，我们联系了世界上最敏感的轴子搜索实验 ADMX，提议建立英美合作。 ADMX 对这种方法表示欢迎，并强烈鼓励我们参与。英国将在 ADMX 已经运行的磁铁和低温恒温器内设计并安装一个新的轴子探测器。使用这个探测器，我们将在先前未探索过的 25 至 40 微电子伏特的质量范围内寻找银河系暗物质晕中的轴子。这个范围与轴子质量可能的当前理论的指示非常匹配，尽管质量的可能范围要大得多，因此还有很多基础需要涵盖。英国仪器的核心将采用我们自己的超导量子测量技术之一——测辐射热探测器、相干参量放大器、基于 SQUID 的放大器或基于量子位的光子计数设备。将在参与机构进行广泛的表征后选择要使用的技术。然后，所选技术将集成到 ADMX 仪器模块中，该模块将在谢菲尔德大学的专用 10 mK 低温恒温器中进行表征。然后，该低温恒温器将兼作英国高场低温测试设施的第一个目标，该设施构成我们提案的第二部分。其次，英国在隐藏扇区物理领域具有国际竞争力的努力需要一个世界一流的英国设施，其中包括高场磁铁：比医疗保健中用于 MRI 成像的磁铁大几倍。这样的磁铁对于轴子搜索是必要的，并且轴子可以说是最有动机的隐藏扇区暗物质候选者。磁体的内腔温度需要非常低，大约 10mK，量子电子器件才能工作。我们将与国家实验室合作建造和运营符合这些规范的英国设施。许多隐藏扇区搜索实验可以安置在这个设施中，但第一个将是我们自己的低温量子光谱仪。最后，为了帮助保持英国在基础物理学领域的国际地位，我们必须创建一个研究社区。隐藏扇区物理学是一个快速发展的学科，全新粒子类别的发现将推动粒子物理学进入新时代，并将量子电子学带入新的应用和市场。我们相信所开发的技术和技术将在量子计算、通信和雷达等多种领域得到应用。