We propose a novel experimental method for probing light dark matter candidates. We show that an electro-optical material's refractive index is modified in the presence of a coherently oscillating dark matter background. A high-precision resonant Michelson interferometer can be used to read out this signal. The proposed detection scheme allows for the exploration of an uncharted parameter space of dark matter candidates over a wide range of masses -- including masses exceeding a few tens of microelectronvolts, which is a challenging parameter space for microwave cavity haloscopes.
@article{arxiv.2306.02168,
title = {GALILEO: Galactic Axion Laser Interferometer Leveraging Electro-Optics},
author = {Reza Ebadi and David E. Kaplan and Surjeet Rajendran and Ronald L. Walsworth},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2306.02168},
year = {2026}
}