http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.12331
Quantum sensors based on the superposition of neutral atoms are promising for sensing the nature of dark matter (DM). This work uses the Stern-Gerlach (SG) interferometer configuration to seek a novel method to detect axion-like particles (ALPs). Using an SG interferometer, we create a spatial quantum superposition of neutral atoms such as $^{3}$He and $^{87}$Rb. It is shown that the interaction of ALPs with this superposition induces a relative phase between superposed quantum components. We use the quantum Boltzmann equation (QBE) to introduce a first principal analysis that describes the temporal evolution of the sensing system. QBE approach uses quantum field theory (QFT) to highlight the role of the quantum nature of the interactions with the quantum systems. The resulting exclusion area shows that our scheme allows for the exclusion of a range of ALPs mass between $m_{a}=10^{-10}-10^{2}\,\mathrm{eV}$ and ALPs-atom coupling constant between $g=10^{-13}-10^{0}\,\mathrm{eV}$.
M. Hajebrahimi, H. Manshouri, M. Sharifian, et. al.
Wed, 23 Nov 22
9/71
Comments: 14 pages, 3 figures, submitted to EPJC