Title: NIST Scientists Join Dark Matter Search Using Quantum Limit Measurements
NIST researchers have joined a collaboration to search for dark matter particles called axions using quantum-limited measurements. The team, which includes scientists from Yale, UC Berkeley, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is developing devices to measure extremely weak microwave-frequency electrical currents at the quantum limit.
The search for axions, a hypothetical dark matter particle, requires measuring electrical currents at frequencies between 500 MHz and 500 GHz. NIST’s expertise in quantum-limited measurements will help speed up the search by allowing the team to focus on either the amplitude or phase of the oscillating current, rather than both simultaneously.
While no axions have been found in the initial search, the collaboration’s work has already provided valuable information about the frequency range where axions are unlikely to exist. Future experiments will use quantum-limited measurements to explore other frequency ranges and potentially uncover new physics.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/pushing-quantum-limit-search-dark-matter
Keywords: axion, dark matter, quantum mechanics
