Proposal for a Cosmic Axion Spin Precession Experiment (CASPEr)

We propose an experiment to search for QCD axion and axionlike-particle dark matter. Nuclei that are interacting with the background axion dark matter acquire time-varying C P -odd nuclear moments such as an electric dipole moment. In analogy with nuclear magnetic resonance, these moments cause precession of nuclear spins in a material sample in the presence of an electric field. Precision magnetometry can be used to search for such precession. An initial phase of this experiment could cover many orders of magnitude in axionlike-particle parameter space beyond the current astrophysical and laboratory limits. And with established techniques, the proposed experimental scheme has sensitivity to QCD axion masses m a ≲ 1 0 - 9 eV , corresponding to theoretically well-motivated axion decay constants f a ≳ 1 0 16 GeV . With further improvements, this experiment could ultimately cover the entire range of masses m a ≲ μ eV , complementary to cavity searches.

[1]  J. Meijer,et al.  Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy on a (5-Nanometer)3 Sample Volume , 2013, Science.

[2]  L. Duvillaret,et al.  First Results of the Full-Scale OSQAR Photon Regeneration Experiment , 2011, 1110.0774.

[3]  I. Khriplovich,et al.  CP Violation Without Strangeness: Electric Dipole Moments of Particles, Atoms, and Molecules , 2011 .

[4]  S. Barrett,et al.  Controlling coherence using the internal structure of hard pi pulses. , 2008, Physical review letters.

[5]  Michael Dine,et al.  A Simple Solution to the Strong CP Problem with a Harmless Axion , 1981 .

[6]  O. Baker,et al.  Prospects for searching axionlike particle dark matter with dipole, toroidal, and wiggler magnets , 2011, 1110.2180.

[7]  A. Ringwald,et al.  The Low-Energy Frontier of Particle Physics , 2010, 1002.0329.

[8]  P. Vanĕk,et al.  A multiferroic material to search for the permanent electric dipole moment of the electron. , 2010, Nature materials.

[9]  A. Ringwald,et al.  Optimizing light-shining-through-a-wall experiments for axion and other weakly interacting slim particle searches , 2010, 1009.4875.

[10]  P. Sikivie,et al.  Detection rates for "invisible"-axion searches. , 1985, Physical review. D, Particles and fields.

[11]  S. Lamoreaux.  Solid-state systems for the electron electric dipole moment and other fundamental measurements , 2001, nucl-ex/0109014.

[12]  S. Lamoreaux,et al.  Limit on the electron electric dipole moment using paramagnetic ferroelectric Eu0.5Ba0.5TiO3. , 2012, Physical review letters.

[13]  The QCD axion and moduli stabilisation , 2006, hep-th/0602233.

[14]  D B Tanner,et al.  SQUID-based microwave cavity search for dark-matter axions. , 2009, Physical review letters.

[15]  M. Romalis,et al.  High-sensitivity atomic magnetometer unaffected by spin-exchange relaxation. , 2002, Physical review letters.

[16]  Bruce Allen,et al.  Detecting a stochastic background of gravitational radiation: Signal processing strategies and sensitivities , 1999 .

[17]  Faraday-rotation fluctuation spectroscopy with static and oscillating magnetic fields , 2006, cond-mat/0601607.

[18]  A. Vainshtein,et al.  Can Confinement Ensure Natural CP Invariance of Strong Interactions , 1980 .

[19]  G. G. Stokes.  "J." , 1890, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[20]  Munich,et al.  New ALPS results on hidden-sector lightweights , 2010, 1004.1313.

[21]  N. Kaloper,et al.  String Axiverse , 2009, 0905.4720.

[22]  Michael Dine,et al.  The Not So Harmless Axion , 1983 .

[23]  David E. Kaplan,et al.  Displaced Supersymmetry , 2012, 1204.6038.

[24]  A. Zhitnitsky.  THE WEINBERG MODEL OF THE CP VIOLATION AND T ODD CORRELATIONS IN WEAK DECAYS. (IN RUSSIAN) , 1980 .

[25]  S. Weinberg.  A new light boson , 1978 .

[26]  I. Khriplovich,et al.  On the Possibility to Study $P$ Odd and $T$ Odd Nuclear Forces in Atomic and Molecular Experiments , 1984 .

[27]  R. Peccei,et al.  CP Conservation in the Presence of Pseudoparticles , 1977 .

[28]  G. Raffelt.  Astrophysical axion bounds , 2006, hep-ph/0611350.

[29]  V. Flambaum,et al.  Enhanced T -odd, P -odd electromagnetic moments in reflection asymmetric nuclei , 1996, nucl-th/9612044.

[30]  Nuclear-spin relaxation of 207 Pb in ferroelectric powders , 2007, 0711.1392.

[31]  R. Peccei,et al.  Constraints imposed by CP conservation in the presence of pseudoparticles , 1977 .

[32]  E. Witten,et al.  Axions In String Theory , 2006, hep-th/0605206.

[33]  P. Graham,et al.  New Observables for Direct Detection of Axion Dark Matter , 2013, 1306.6088.

[34]  Bradford W. Parkinson,et al.  The Gravity Probe B Relativity Mission , 2005 .

[35]  Y. K. Kim,et al.  Fundamental Physics at the Intensity Frontier , 2012, 1205.2671.

[36]  A. Ringwald.  Exploring the Role of Axions and Other WISPs in the Dark Universe , 2012, 1210.5081.

[37]  F. Wilczek.  Problem of Strong $P$ and $T$ Invariance in the Presence of Instantons , 1978 .

[38]  John Preskill,et al.  Cosmology of the invisible axion , 1983 .

[39]  S. Lamoreaux,et al.  Prospects for a new search for the electron electric-dipole moment in solid gadolinium-iron-garnet ceramics , 2008, 0810.2756.

[40]  D. F. Kimball,et al.  Detecting domain walls of axionlike models using terrestrial experiments. , 2013, Physical review letters.

[41]  M. Pospelov,et al.  Theta induced electric dipole moment of the neutron via QCD sum rules , 1999, hep-ph/9904483.

[42]  P. Graham,et al.  Axion dark matter detection with cold molecules , 2011, 1101.2691.

[43]  S. R. Golwala,et al.  Combined limits on WIMPs from the CDMS and EDELWEISS experiments , 2011, 1105.3377.

[44]  F. Shapiro.  Electric dipole moments of elementary particles , 1968 .

[45]  J. Blanchard,et al.  Liquid-state nuclear spin comagnetometers. , 2012, Physical review letters.

[46]  Jihn E. Kim.  Weak Interaction Singlet and Strong CP Invariance , 1979 .

[47]  Andrei Linde.  Inflation and axion cosmology , 1988 .

[48]  R. Webb,et al.  First results from the LUX dark matter experiment at the Sanford underground research facility. , 2013, Physical review letters.

[49]  S. Lamoreaux,et al.  Prospects for an electron electric-dipole-moment search with ferroelectric (Eu,Ba)TiO 3 ceramics , 2009, 0910.5214.

[50]  Sensitivity of condensed-matter P- and T-violation experiments (5 pages) , 2005, cond-mat/0511153.

[51]  Sleater,et al.  Nuclear-spin noise. , 1985, Physical review letters.

[52]  D. C. Champeney,et al.  Fourier Transforms and Their Physical Applications , 1973 .

[53]  S. Lamoreaux.  Atomic physics: An exploration through problems and solutions , 2004 .

[54]  A. Ringwald.  Searching for axions and ALPs from string theory , 2012, 1209.2299.

[55]  A. C. Maloof,et al.  Ultrahigh sensitivity magnetic field and magnetization measurements with an atomic magnetometer , 2009, 0910.2206.

[56]  Jihn E. Kim,et al.  A new method for the detectability of oscillating θ , 1991 .

[57]  S. Lowette,et al.  Supersymmetry Searches with ATLAS and CMS , 2012, 1205.4053.

[58]  E Aprile,et al.  Dark matter results from 225 live days of XENON100 data. , 2012, Physical review letters.

[59]  Piyush Kumar,et al.  An M theory solution to the strong CP-problem, and constraints on the axiverse , 2010, 1004.5138.

[60]  M. Romalis,et al.  Transverse spin relaxation in liquid 129Xe in the presence of large dipolar fields. , 2001, Physical review letters.