Project description
A radio frequency experiment searching for axion dark matter
The mission of the EU-funded G-LEAD project is to identify the nature of dark matter once and for all. But first, it will need to conduct the world's most sensitive gigahertz radio waves experiment. The study will be based on axions – ultralight particles whose existence could solve the strong CP problem in particle physics and the suspected source of the universe’s elusive mass. The project will take advantage of quantum mechanical mixing – the ability of axions to take on properties of photons when subject to an external magnetic field. If dark matter is made of axions, the subatomic particles would emit gigahertz radio waves when passing through a metal/air interface. The cutting-edge experiment will measure these radio frequencies with high sensitivity and narrow down the axions’ mass range.
Objective
The nature of the dark matter, making up most of the mass of the universe remains a mystery. The G-LEAD project aims at building an original experiment to test one of the favorite hypotheses for what dark matter could be : axions. Axions have been hypothesized in the late seventies and have been extensively searched for ever since. They elegantly solve the strong CP problem of the Standard Model and constitute a natural candidate for dark matter. Axions are expected to be very light particles and they would mix with photons in an external magnetic field. If dark matter is made of axions, a metal/air interface in a magnetic field would emit GHz radio waves. I hereby propose to build the first experiment aimed at producing and detecting this axion-induced interface radiation. As opposed to all other experiments, the G-LEAD experiment is designed to be broadband, and its setup is based on a simple and robust design. It will likely constitute the world-leading experiment in terms of sensitivity in its mass range during the course of the project. Beyond the publication of candidate signals or exclusion limits on axion parameters, prototypes will be built in order to make a proposal for a large-scale broadband experiment. The project relies on a pathfinder experiment conducted at CEA Saclay and will benefit from existing local installations. Planned realizations include a new spherical cap, a large aperture 3 T magnet, modules of magnetized interfaces, new antennas and radiometers. Two postdoctoral fellows and a PhD student will be hired. An outreach and specialized workshop program is also proposed.
Fields of science
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantHost institution
75015 PARIS 15
France