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arXiv:2311.01930

Quantum Sensors for High Energy Physics

Aaron S. Chou, K. D. Irwin, Reina H. Maruyama, Oliver Keith Baker, C. Bartram, Karl K. Berggren, Gustavo I. Cancelo, Daniel Carney, C. L. Chang, Hsiao-Mei Cho, M. Garcia-Sciveres, Peter W. Graham, Salman Habib, Roni Harnik, Jack Harris, S. A. Hertel, David B. Hume, Rakshya Khatiwada, Tim Kovachy, Noah Kurinsky, S. K. Lamoreaux, Konrad W. Lehnert, David R. Leibrandt, Dale Li, B. Loer, Julián Martínez-Rincón, Lee P. McCuller, David C. Moore, Holger Müller, Cristián Peña, Raphael C. Pooser, M. Pyle, Surjeet Rajendran, Marianna S. Safronova, David Schuster, Matthew D. Shaw, M. Spiropulu, Paul Stankus, Alexander O. Sushkov, L. A. Winslow, S. Xie, Kathryn M. Zurek

Published Nov 3, 2023• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Strong motivation for investing in quantum sensing arises from the need to investigate phenomena that are very weakly coupled to the matter and fields well described by the Standard Model. These can be related to the problems of dark matter, dark sectors not necessarily related to dark matter (for example sterile neutrinos), dark energy and gravity, fundamental constants, and problems with the Standard Model itself including the Strong CP problem in QCD. Resulting experimental needs typically involve the measurement of very low energy impulses or low power periodic signals that are normally buried under large backgrounds. This report documents the findings of the 2023 Quantum Sensors for High Energy Physics workshop which identified enabling quantum information science technologies that could be utilized in future particle physics experiments, targeting high energy physics science goals.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2311.01930

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Strong motivation for investing in quantum sensing arises from the need to investigate phenomena that are very weakly coupled to the matter and fields well described by the Standard Model. These can be related to the problems of dark matter, dark sectors not necessarily related to dark matter (for example sterile neutrinos), dark energy and gravity, fundamental constants, and problems with the Standard Model itself including the Strong CP problem in QCD. Resulting experimental needs typically involve the measurement of very low energy impulses or low power periodic signals that are normally buried under large backgrounds. This report documents the findings of the 2023 Quantum Sensors for High Energy Physics workshop which identified enabling quantum information science technologies that could be utilized in future particle physics experiments, targeting high energy physics science goals.
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The applications of spin-based quantum sensors to measurements probing fundamental physics are surveyed. Experimental methods and technologies developed for quantum information science have rapidly advanced in recent years, and these tools enable increasingly precise control and measurement of spin dynamics. Theories of beyond-the-Standard-Model physics predict, for example, symmetry violating electromagnetic moments aligned with particle spins, exotic spin-dependent forces, coupling of spins to ultralight bosonic dark matter fields, and changes to the local environment that affect spins. Spin-based quantum sensors can be used to search for these myriad phenomena, and offer a methodology for tests of fundamental physics that is complementary to particle colliders and large scale particle detectors. Areas of technological development that can significantly enhance the sensitivity of spin-based quantum sensors to new physics are highlighted.
We give a systematic theoretical treatment of linear quantum detectors used in modern high energy physics experiments, including dark matter cavity haloscopes, gravitational wave detectors, and impulsive mechanical sensors. We show how to derive the coupling of signals of interest to these devices, and how to calculate noise spectra, signal-to-noise ratios, and detection sensitivities. We emphasize the role of quantum vacuum and thermal noise in these systems. Finally, we review ways in which advanced quantum techniques—squeezing, non-demolition measurements, and entanglement—can be or currently are used to enhance these searches.
We explore a novel strategy for detecting the radiative decay of very weakly interacting particles by leveraging the extreme sensitivity of quantum devices, such as superconducting transmon qubits and trapped ion systems, to faint electromagnetic signals. By modeling the effective electric field induced by the decay photons, we evaluate the response of quantum sensors across two particle physics scenarios: the cosmic neutrino background and two-component dark matter. We assess the discovery potential of these devices and outline the parameter space accessible under current experimental capabilities. Our analysis demonstrates that quantum sensors can probe radiative decays of dark matter candidates using existing technology, while probing neutrino magnetic moments beyond current limits will require scalable quantum architectures with collective enhancement.