Speaker
Description
The QCD axion is a compelling dark matter candidate [1][2]. The Quantum Enhanced Particle Astrophysics (QuEPA) experiment at Imperial searches for axions with masses between 124 μeV and 248 μeV [3]. The experiment consists of two parts: a Fabry–Pérot cavity, which converts axions into microwave photons, and a cryogenic Penning trap single-photon counter for detecting axion-induced microwave photons in the 30–60 GHz range. This poster focuses on the photon-counting component of the experiment. It presents the motivation for and advantages of using an electron Penning trap for dark matter axion detection, as well as the latest experimental results from the characterisation of the trap.
[1] P. Sikivie, “Experimental Tests of the ‘Invisible’ Axion.” Physical Review Letters, vol. 51, no.16, 1983, pp. 1415–17
[2] D. J. E. Marsh, Axion cosmology, Physics Reports, Volume 643, 2016, Pages 1-79
[3] J. A. Devlin et al., arXiv:2601.05472v1
| Academic level | PhD student |
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