9 research outputs found
The QUAX proposal: a search of galactic axion with magnetic materials
Aim of the QUAX (QUaerere AXion) proposal is to exploit the interaction of
cosmological axions with the spin of electrons in a magnetized sample. Their
effect is equivalent to the application of an oscillating rf field with
frequency and amplitude which are fixed by axion mass and coupling constant,
respectively. The rf receiver module of the QUAX detector consists of
magnetized samples with the Larmor resonance frequency tuned to the axion mass
by a polarizing static magnetic field. The interaction of electrons with the
axion-equivalent rf field produces oscillations in the total magnetization of
the samples. To amplify such a tiny field, a pump field at the same frequency
is applied in a direction orthogonal to the polarizing field. The induced
oscillatory magnetization along the polarizing field is measured by a SQUID
amplifier operated at its quantum noise level.Comment: 5 pages, Contribution for the proceedings of the TAUP2015,
International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics,
7-11 September 2015, Torino, Ital