Laboratory Constraints on the Neutron-Spin Coupling of feV-Scale Axions
Ultralight axionlike particles can contribute to the dark matter near the Sun, leading to a distinct, stochastic signature in terrestrial experiments. We search for such particles through their neutron-spin coupling by reanalyzing approximately 40 days of data from a K-^{3}He comagnetometer with a n...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Physical Review X |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.13.011050 |
| _version_ | 1797854823688699904 |
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| author | Junyi Lee Mariangela Lisanti William A. Terrano Michael Romalis |
| author_facet | Junyi Lee Mariangela Lisanti William A. Terrano Michael Romalis |
| author_sort | Junyi Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ultralight axionlike particles can contribute to the dark matter near the Sun, leading to a distinct, stochastic signature in terrestrial experiments. We search for such particles through their neutron-spin coupling by reanalyzing approximately 40 days of data from a K-^{3}He comagnetometer with a new frequency-domain likelihood-based formalism that properly accounts for stochastic effects over all axion coherence times relative to the experimental time span. Assuming that axions make up all of the dark matter in the Sun’s vicinity, we find a median 95% upper limit on the neutron-spin coupling of 2.4×10^{-10} GeV^{-1} for most axion masses from 0.4 to 4 feV, which is about 5 orders of magnitude more stringent than previous laboratory bounds in that mass range. Although several peaks in the experiment’s magnetic power spectrum suggest the rejection of a white-noise null hypothesis, further analysis of their line shapes yields no positive evidence for a dark-matter axion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:13:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-be614d89406044068d41fae4ba972d68 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2160-3308 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:13:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physical Review X |
| spelling | doaj.art-be614d89406044068d41fae4ba972d682023-03-31T16:13:55ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review X2160-33082023-03-0113101105010.1103/PhysRevX.13.011050Laboratory Constraints on the Neutron-Spin Coupling of feV-Scale AxionsJunyi LeeMariangela LisantiWilliam A. TerranoMichael RomalisUltralight axionlike particles can contribute to the dark matter near the Sun, leading to a distinct, stochastic signature in terrestrial experiments. We search for such particles through their neutron-spin coupling by reanalyzing approximately 40 days of data from a K-^{3}He comagnetometer with a new frequency-domain likelihood-based formalism that properly accounts for stochastic effects over all axion coherence times relative to the experimental time span. Assuming that axions make up all of the dark matter in the Sun’s vicinity, we find a median 95% upper limit on the neutron-spin coupling of 2.4×10^{-10} GeV^{-1} for most axion masses from 0.4 to 4 feV, which is about 5 orders of magnitude more stringent than previous laboratory bounds in that mass range. Although several peaks in the experiment’s magnetic power spectrum suggest the rejection of a white-noise null hypothesis, further analysis of their line shapes yields no positive evidence for a dark-matter axion.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.13.011050 |
| spellingShingle | Junyi Lee Mariangela Lisanti William A. Terrano Michael Romalis Laboratory Constraints on the Neutron-Spin Coupling of feV-Scale Axions Physical Review X |
| title | Laboratory Constraints on the Neutron-Spin Coupling of feV-Scale Axions |
| title_full | Laboratory Constraints on the Neutron-Spin Coupling of feV-Scale Axions |
| title_fullStr | Laboratory Constraints on the Neutron-Spin Coupling of feV-Scale Axions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Laboratory Constraints on the Neutron-Spin Coupling of feV-Scale Axions |
| title_short | Laboratory Constraints on the Neutron-Spin Coupling of feV-Scale Axions |
| title_sort | laboratory constraints on the neutron spin coupling of fev scale axions |
| url | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.13.011050 |
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