Cross-correlation measurement techniques for cavity-based axion and weakly interacting slim particle searches

Abstract

The search for dark matter is of fundamental importance to our understanding of the universe. Weakly-Interacting Slim Particles (WISPs) such as axions and hidden sector photons (HSPs) are well motivated candidates for the dark matter. Some of the most sensitive and mature experiments to detect WISPs rely on microwave cavities, and the detection of weak photon signals. It is often suggested to power combine multiple cavities, which creates a host of technical concerns. We outline a scheme based on cross-correlation for effectively power combining cavities and increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of a candidate WISP signal.