PSILOGO

Laboratory for Particle Physics (LTP)


LTP Colloquium

QUAX: Probing Axion Dark Matter through Quantum Technologies

Thursday, October 17, 2024, 16:00
WHGA Auditorium

Giovanni Carugno, INFN Padova

Abstract:
The QUest for Axion (QUAX) is a direct-detection Cold Dark Matter axion search which reaches the sensitivity necessary for the detection of galactic QCD-axion in the range of frequency 8.5-11 GHz.

In this talk we will report about results obtained, using a high quality factor dielectric cavity cooled at less than 100 mK inside a dilution refrigerator equipped with a 8 T magnet with a Josephson Parametric Amplifier and Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifier-based amplification chain for cavity signal readout, resulting in a system noise temperature at the quantum limit.

Results will be presented for the axion-electron and axion-photon coupling around the 10 GHz frequency range.

We will also report about a side experiment aimed at increasing the scanning speed with application of transmon-based single microwave photon detectors (SMPDs) for cavity readout.

This prototype haloscope we developed is based on a cylindrical copper cavity sputtered with NbTi, resonant at 7.3 GHz frequency, and cooled at mK temperatures inside a dilution refrigerator equipped with a SC magnet.