QSHS: An Axion Dark Matter Resonant Search Apparatus
Abstract
We describe a resonant cavity search apparatus for axion dark matter constructed by the Quantum Sensors for the Hidden Sector (QSHS) collaboration. The apparatus is configured to search for QCD axion dark matter, though also has the capability to detect axion-like particles (ALPs), dark photons, and some other forms of wave-like dark matter. Initially, a tuneable cylindrical oxygen-free copper cavity is read out using a low noise microwave amplifier feeding a heterodyne receiver. The cavity is housed in a dilution refrigerator and threaded by a solenoidal magnetic field, nominally 8T. The apparatus also houses a magnetic field shield for housing superconducting electronics, and several other fixed-frequency resonators for use in testing and commissioning various prototype quantum electronic devices sensitive at a range of axion masses in the range 2.0 to 40 micro-eV/c2. The apparatus as currently configured is intended as a test stand for electronics over the relatively wide frequency band attainable with the TM010 cavity mode used for axion searches. We present performance data for the resonator, dilution refrigerator, and magnet, and plans for the first science run.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2504.12257,
title = {QSHS: An Axion Dark Matter Resonant Search Apparatus},
author = {A. Alsulami and I. Bailey and G. Carosi and G. Chapman and B. Chakraborty and E. J. Daw and N. Du and S. Durham and J. Esmenda and J. Gallop and T. Gamble and T. Godfrey and G. Gregori and J. Halliday and L. Hao and E. Hardy and E. A. Laird and P. Leek and J. March-Russell and P. J. Meeson and C. F. Mostyn and Yu. A. Pashkin and S. O. Peatain and M. Perry and M. Piscitelli and M. Reig and E. J. Romans and S. Sarkar and P. J. Smith and A. Sokolov and N. Song and A. Sundararajan and B. -K Tan and S. M. West and S. Withington},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.12257},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
Accepted by New Journal of Physics, 10th September 2025