Light Dark Matter Axion Detection with Static Electric Field

Abstract

We explore the axionic dark matter search sensitivity with a narrow-band detection scheme aiming at the axion-photon conversion by the static electric field inside a cylindrical capacitor. An alternating magnetic field signal is induced by effective currents as the axion dark matter flows perpendicularly through the electric field. At low axion masses, like in a KKLT scenario, front-end narrow band filtering is provided by using LC resonance with a high $Q$ factor, which enhances the detectability of the tiny magnetic field signal and also leads to a thermal noise as the major background that can be reduced at cryogenic conditions. We demonstrate that high $g_{a\gamma}$ sensitivity can be achieved by using a strong electric field. The QCD axion theoretical parameter space can be reached with high $E\sim$ GVm$^{-1}$ field strength. Using the static electric field scheme essentially avoids exposing the sensitive superconducting pickup to an applied laboratory magnetic field.