Cavity Microwave Searches for Cosmological Axions

This chapter will cover the search for dark matter axions based on microwave cavity experiments proposed by Pierre Sikivie. We will start with a brief overview of halo dark matter and the axion as a candidate. The principle of resonant conversion of axions in an external magnetic field will be described as well as practical considerations in optimizing the experiment as a signal-to-noise problem. A major focus of this chapter will be the two complementary strategies for ultra-low noise detection of the microwave photons--the 'photon-as-wave' approach (i.e. conventional heterojunction amplifiers and soon to be quantum-limited SQUID devices), and 'photon-as-particle' (i.e. Rydberg-atom single-quantum detection). Experimental results will be presented; these experiments have already reached well into the range of sensitivity to exclude plausible axion models, for limited ranges of mass. The section will conclude with a discussion of future plans and challenges for the microwave cavity experiment

A Search for Scalar Chameleons with ADMX

Scalar fields with a "chameleon" property, in which the effective particle mass is a function of its local environment, are common to many theories beyond the standard model and could be responsible for dark energy. If these fields couple weakly to the photon, they could be detectable through the "afterglow" effect of photon-chameleon-photon transitions. The ADMX experiment was used in the first chameleon search with a microwave cavity to set a new limit on scalar chameleon-photon coupling excluding values between 2*10^9 and 5*10^14 for effective chameleon masses between 1.9510 and 1.9525 micro-eV.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

A SQUID-based microwave cavity search for dark-matter axions

Axions in the micro eV mass range are a plausible cold dark matter candidate and may be detected by their conversion into microwave photons in a resonant cavity immersed in a static magnetic field. The first result from such an axion search using a superconducting first-stage amplifier (SQUID) is reported. The SQUID amplifier, replacing a conventional GaAs field-effect transistor amplifier, successfully reached axion-photon coupling sensitivity in the band set by present axion models and sets the stage for a definitive axion search utilizing near quantum-limited SQUID amplifiers.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR

Quark mass uncertainties revive KSVZ axion dark matter

The Kaplan-Manohar ambiguity in light quark masses allows for a larger uncertainty in the ratio of up to down quark masses than naive estimates from the chiral Lagrangian would indicate. We show that it allows for a relaxation of experimental bounds on the QCD axion, specifically KSVZ axions in the $2-3 \mu$eV mass range composing 100% of the galactic dark matter halo can evade the experimental limits placed by the ADMX collaboration.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Move of a large but delicate apparatus on a trailer with air-ride suspension

When valuable delicate goods are shipped by truck, attention must be paid to vibrations that may cause damage. We present a case study of moving an extremely delicate 6230-kg superconducting magnet, immersed in liquid nitrogen, from Livermore, CA to Seattle, WA showing the steps of fatigue analysis of the load, a test move, and acceleration monitoring of the final move to ensure a successful damage-free transport

Design and performance of the ADMX SQUID-based microwave receiver

The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) was designed to detect ultra-weakly interacting relic axion particles by searching for their conversion to microwave photons in a resonant cavity positioned in a strong magnetic field. Given the extremely low expected axion-photon conversion power we have designed, built and operated a microwave receiver based on a Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID). We describe the ADMX receiver in detail as well as the analysis of narrow band microwave signals. We demonstrate the sustained use of a SQUID amplifier operating between 812 and 860 MHz with a noise temperature of 1 K. The receiver has a noise equivalent power of 1.1x10^-24 W/sqrt(Hz) in the band of operation for an integration time of 1.8x10^3 s.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, Submitted to Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research,