Speaker
Prof.
Giovanni Cantatore
(University and INFN Trieste, CERN)
Description
The sub-micron scale of distances in the field of short
range interactions is presently not accessible to
experimental investigation, and may hold the key to
understanding al least part of the dark matter puzzle. The
aKWISP (advanced-KWISP) proposal builds on the results
obtained with the KWISP opto-mechanical, membrane-based,
force sensor built at INFN Trieste, and now used in CAST to
search for the direct matter coupling of solar chameleons in
addition to the photon interaction channel. The current CAST
physics program further extends its reach to dark matter
axions, searching for them with RF cavities. aKWISP
introduces the novel “double-membrane” concept, where
interaction distances can be as short as 100 nm, much below
the ≈10-30 micron distance which is the lower limit
encountered by current experimental efforts. aKWISP reaches
the ultimate quantum-limited sensitivity by exploiting an
array of technologies, and by working at sub-Kelvin membrane
temperatures. Thanks to a recent idea, short range
intraction studies might further expand the possibilities
also for the detection of axions.
Primary author
Prof.
Giovanni Cantatore
(University and INFN Trieste, CERN)