Related papers: First Results on the Search for Chameleons with th…

We present results of the Relic Axion Dark-Matter Exploratory Setup (RADES), a detector which is part of the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST), searching for axion dark matter in the 34.67$\mu$eV mass range. A radio frequency cavity…

The CRESST experiment is a direct dark matter search which aims to measure interactions of potential dark matter particles in an earth-bound detector. With the current stage, CRESST-III, we focus on a low energy threshold for increased…

The CERN Resonant WISP Search (CROWS) probes the existence of Weakly Interacting Sub-eV Particles (WISPs) like axions or hidden sector photons. It is based on the principle of an optical light shining through the wall experiment, adapted to…

The CRESST experiment seeks hypothetical WIMP particles that could account for the bulk of dark matter in the Universe. The detectors are cryogenic calorimeters in which WIMPs would scatter elastically on nuclei, releasing phonons. The…

Light scalar fields coupled to matter are a common consequence of theories of dark energy and attempts to solve the cosmological constant problem. The chameleon screening mechanism is commonly invoked in order to suppress the fifth forces…

Two germanium detectors are currently operating in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory at 2450 m.w.e looking for WIMP dark matter. One is a 2 kg 76Ge IGEX detector (RG-2) which has an energy threshold of 4 keV and a low-energy background…

We present a cursory overview of chameleon models of dark energy and their laboratory tests with an emphasis on optical and Casimir experiments. Optical experiments measuring the ellipticity of an initially polarised laser beam are…

The XENON experiment aims at the direct detection of dark matter in the form of WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) via their elastic scattering off Xe nuclei. A fiducial mass of 1000 kg, distributed in ten independent liquid xenon…

We have searched for solar axions or similar particles that couple to two photons by using the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) setup with improved conditions in all detectors. From the absence of excess X-rays when the magnet was pointing…

As astronomical observations and their interpretation improve, the case for cold dark matter (CDM) becomes increasingly persuasive. A particularly appealing version of CDM is a weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) with a mass near the…

We briefly review the constraints on the search for low mass wimps (< 15 GeV) and the various experimental methods. These experiments depend on the response of detectors to low energy signals (less than 15 KeV equivalent energy). We then…

We present a novel quantum sensing approach to search for axion-electron interactions around the axion mass of 6 \mueV. In this region, laboratory searches are relatively scarce, and our direct experiment measuring the axion-electron…

This thesis explores experimental and theoretical approaches to dark matter detection, from gas-based detectors to quantum sensors, tackling the challenge of identifying dark matter, which makes up 27% of the Universe's energy. It reviews…

The DESIRE project aims to test chameleon field theories as potential candidates for dark energy. The chameleon field is a light scalar field that is subject to screening mechanisms in dense environments making them hardly detectable. The…

The Cern Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) is in operation and taking data since 2003. The main objective of the CAST experiment is to search for a hypothetical pseudoscalar boson, the axion, which might be produced in the core of the sun. The…

Chameleons are light scalar fields with remarkable properties. Through the interplay of self-interactions and coupling to matter, chameleon particles have a mass that depends on the ambient matter density. The manifestation of the fifth…

The XENON100 collaboration has recently released new dark matter limits, placing particular emphasis on their impact on searches known to be sensitive to light-mass (below 10 GeV/c^2) Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), such as…

Chameleons are a well motivated scalar field that might explain the observed late time accelerated expansion of the universe. Chameleons possess the interesting property that their mass, and hence interaction range, is dependent on the…

Hypothetical axion-like particles with a two-photon interaction would be produced in the Sun by the Primakoff process. In a laboratory magnetic field (``axion helioscope'') they would be transformed into X-rays with energies of a few keV.…

We have searched for solar axions or other pseudoscalar particles that couple to two photons by using the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) setup. Whereas we previously have reported results from CAST with evacuated magnet bores (Phase I),…