Searching for the QCD Axion with the ADMX Receiver

Chelsea Bartram, University of Washington

https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/87510166082?pwd=U1plTi9ycXJxS0NheDlwMStPQmZGQT09

Meeting ID: 875 1016 6082
Passcode: 622748

Axions are a compelling dark matter candidate that have the ability not only to account for 85% of the missing mass in the universe, but also to resolve the so-called Strong CP prob- lem. Axions fall under the domain of wave-like dark matter, implying the use of somewhat unconventional detector technology to search for them. The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment uses a haloscope, which consists of a magnet field and microwave cavity attached to what can be thought of as an exquisitely sensitive AM radio. The axion search must be capable of looking for extremely small signals above the noise, as the typical power from an axion signal is about 10−23 Watts! An in-depth understanding of the system noise is therefore of utmost importance. I will explain the data-taking operations of ADMX Run 1C, which covers the mass range 3.1-4.2 μeV, as well as future plans to cover as-yet unexplored regions of the axion parameter space.