Resonant Electric Probe to Axionic Dark Matter

Abstract

The oscillating light axion field is known as wave dark matter. We propose an LC-resonance enhanced detection of the narrow band electric signals induced by the axion dark matter using a solenoid magnet facility. We provide full 3D electromagnetic simulation results for the signal electric field. The electric signal is enhanced by the high $Q$-factor of a resonant LC circuit and then amplified and detected by the state-of-the-art cryogenic electrical transport measurement technique. The cryogenic amplifier noise is the dominant noise source in the proposed detection system. We estimate that the detection system can have a promising sensitivity to axion dark matter with mass below $10^{-6}$ eV. The projected sensitivities improve with the size of the magnetic field, and the electric signal measurement can be potentially sensitive to the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) axion with $g_{a\gamma} \sim 10^{-16}$ GeV$^{-1}$ around $m_a \sim 10^{-8}$eV, with a multi-meter scale magnetized region. This limit is around five orders of magnitude below the current constraint from the cosmic rays.