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Kalia, Saarik (ORCID:0000000273626501)

Publications and source records attributed to Kalia, Saarik (ORCID:0000000273626501).

8 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Search for ultralight dark matter in the SuperMAG high-fidelity dataset

Ultralight dark matter, such as kinetically mixed dark-photon dark matter (DPDM) or axion-like-particle dark matter (axion DM), can source an oscillating magnetic-field signal at Earth’s surface. Previous work searched for this signal in a publicly available dataset of global magnetometer measurements maintained by the SuperMAG collaboration. This “low-fidelity” dataset reported measurements with a 1-min time resolution, allowing the search to set leading direct constraints on DPDM and axion DM with Compton frequencies f DM ≤ 1 / ( 1 min ) (corresponding to masses m DM ≤ 7 × 10 − 17 eV ). More recently, a dedicated experiment undertaken by the SNIPE Hunt collaboration has also searched for this same signal at higher frequencies f DM ≥ 0.5 Hz (or m DM ≥ 2 × 10 − 15 eV ). In this work, we search for this signal of ultralight DM in the SuperMAG “high-fidelity” dataset, which features a 1-sec time resolution, allowing us to probe the gap in parameter space between the low-fidelity dataset and the SNIPE Hunt experiment. The high-fidelity dataset exhibits lower geomagnetic noise than the low-fidelity dataset and features more data than the SNIPE Hunt experiment, making it a powerful probe of ultralight DM. Our search finds no robust DPDM or axion DM candidates. We set constraints on DPDM and axion DM parameter space for 10 − 3 Hz ≤ f DM ≤ 0.98 Hz (or 4 × 10 − 18 eV ≤ m DM ≤ 4 × 10 − 15 eV ). Our results are the leading direct constraints on both DPDM and axion DM in this mass range, and our DPDM constraint surpasses the leading astrophysical constraint in a narrow range around m A ′ ≈ 2 × 10 − 15 eV . Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ultralight dark matter detection with levitated ferromagnets

Levitated ferromagnets act as ultraprecise magnetometers, which can exhibit high quality factors due to their excellent isolation from the environment. These instruments can be utilized in searches for ultralight dark matter candidates, such as axionlike dark matter or dark-photon dark matter. In addition to being sensitive to an axion-photon coupling or kinetic mixing, which produce physical magnetic fields, ferromagnets are also sensitive to the effective magnetic field (or “axion wind”) produced by an axion-electron coupling. While the dynamics of a levitated ferromagnet in response to a dc magnetic field have been well studied, all of these couplings would produce ac fields. In this work, we study the response of a ferromagnet to an applied ac magnetic field and use these results to project their sensitivity to axion and dark-photon dark matter. We pay special attention to the direction of motion induced by an applied ac field, in particular, whether it precesses around the applied field (similar to an electron spin) or librates in the plane of the field (similar to a compass needle). We show that existing levitated ferromagnet setups can already have comparable sensitivity to an axion-electron coupling as comagnetometer or torsion balance experiments. In addition, future setups can become sensitive probes of axion-electron coupling, dark-photon kinetic mixing, and axion-photon coupling, for ultralight dark matter masses m DM ≲ feV . Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tunneling away the relic neutrino asymmetry

The Earth acts as a matter potential for relic neutrinos which modifies their index of refraction from vacuum by δ ∼ 10 − 8 . It has been argued that the refractive effects from this potential should lead to a large O ( δ ) neutrino-antineutrino asymmetry at the surface of the Earth. This result was computed by treating the Earth as flat. In this work, we revisit this calculation in the context of a perfectly spherical Earth. We demonstrate, both numerically and through analytic arguments, that the flat-Earth result is only recovered under the condition δ 3 / 2 k R ≫ 1 , where k is the typical momentum of the relic neutrinos and R is the radius of the Earth. This condition is required to prevent antineutrinos from tunneling into classically inaccessible trajectories below the Earth’s surface and washing away the large asymmetry. As the physical parameters of the Earth do not satisfy this condition, we find that the asymmetry at the surface should only be O ( δ ) . While the asphericity of the Earth may serve as a loophole to our conclusions, we argue that it is still difficult to generate a large asymmetry even in the presence of local terrain. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Maglev for dark matter: Dark-photon and axion dark matter sensing with levitated superconductors

Ultraprecise mechanical sensors offer an exciting avenue for testing new physics. While many of these sensors are tailored to detect inertial forces, magnetically levitated (Maglev) systems are particularly interesting, in that they are also sensitive to electromagnetic forces. In this work, we propose the use of magnetically levitated superconductors to detect dark-photon and axion dark matter through their couplings to electromagnetism. Several existing laboratory experiments search for these dark-matter candidates at high frequencies, but few are sensitive to frequencies below 1 kHz (corresponding to dark-matter masses m DM ≲ 10 − 12 eV ). As a mechanical resonator, magnetically levitated superconductors are sensitive to lower frequencies, and so can probe parameter space currently unexplored by laboratory experiments. Dark-photon and axion dark matter can source an oscillating magnetic field that drives the motion of a magnetically levitated superconductor. This motion is resonantly enhanced when the dark matter Compton frequency matches the levitated superconductor’s trapping frequency. We outline the necessary modifications to make magnetically levitated superconductors sensitive to dark matter, including specifications for both broadband and resonant schemes. We show that in the Hz ≲ f DM ≲ kHz frequency range our technique can achieve the leading sensitivity among laboratory probes of both dark-photon and axion dark matter. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗