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arXiv:2502.13393

Searching Axion-like Dark Matter by Amplifying Weak Magnetic Field with Quantum Zeno effect

Jian Feng Dong, He, W. T., Zou, S. D., D. L. Zhou, Qing Ai

Published Feb 19, 2025• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The enhancement of weak signals and the detection of hypothetical particles, facilitated by quantum amplification, are crucial for advancing fundamental physics and its practical applications. Recently, it was experimentally observed that magnetic field can be amplified by using nuclear spins under Markovian noise, [H. Su, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 191801 (2024)]. Here, we theoretically propose amplifying the magnetic-field signal by using nuclear spins by the quantum Zeno effect (QZE). Under identical conditions, we demonstrate that compared to the Markovian case the amplification of the weak magnetic field can be enhanced by a factor about $e^{1/2}$ under a Gaussian noise. Moreover, through numerical simulations we determine the optimal experimental parameters for amplification conditions. This work shows that the combination of the QZE and spin amplification effectively enhances the amplification of the weak magnetic field. Our findings may provide valuable guidance for the design of experiments on establishing new constraints of dark matter and exotic interactions in the near future.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2502.13393

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The enhancement of weak signals and the detection of hypothetical particles, facilitated by quantum amplification, are crucial for advancing fundamental physics and its practical applications. Recently, it was experimentally observed that magnetic field can be amplified by using nuclear spins under Markovian noise, [H. Su, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 191801 (2024)]. Here, we theoretically propose amplifying the magnetic-field signal by using nuclear spins by the quantum Zeno effect (QZE). Under identical conditions, we demonstrate that compared to the Markovian case the amplification of the weak magnetic field can be enhanced by a factor about e1/2e^{1/2}e1/2 under a Gaussian noise. Moreover, through numerical simulations we determine the optimal experimental parameters for amplification conditions. This work shows that the combination of the QZE and spin amplification effectively enhances the amplification of the weak magnetic field. Our findings may provide valuable guidance for the design of experiments on establishing new constraints of dark matter and exotic interactions in the near future.
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We propose a magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) search for axion dark matter around 1 GHz. The experiment leverages the axion's derivative coupling to electrons, which induces an effective A.C. magnetic field on a sample of electron spins polarized by a D.C. magnetic field and a micromagnet. A second pump field at a nearby frequency enhances the signal, with the detuning matched to the resonant frequency of a magnet-loaded mechanical oscillator. The resulting spin-dependent force is detected with hih sensitivity via optical interferometry. Accounting for the relevant noise sources, we show that current technology can be used to put constraints competitive with those from laboratory experiments with just a minute of integration time. Furthermore, varying the pump field frequency and D.C. magnetic field allows one to scan the axion mass. Finally, we explore this setup's capability to put constraints on other dark matter - Standard Model couplings.
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The detection of axion dark matter poses a significant challenge due to its exceptionally weak coupling to standard-model particles. Here we develop a noise-tolerant quantum-metrology scheme based on coupled 129^{129}129Xe spin ensembles to search for such weakly interacting particles. Within an experimentally accessible parameter regime, our scheme achieves an ideal exclusion limit on the axion coupling constant that is several orders of magnitude more stringent than that of conventional detection methods. We further investigate the performance of our scheme under dissipative noise and find that its robustness is fundamentally governed by the energy-spectrum structure of the composite spin-environment system. Remarkably, when a bound state emerges in the spectrum, the exclusion limit asymptotically recovers its ideal value in the non-Markovian dynamics, whereas under the Markovian approximation the limit deteriorates significantly due to noise. Our results establish a universal mechanism for noise-resilient exploration of beyond-standard-model physics, which can be practically implemented by engineering bound-state formation via tuning the Larmor frequency of the spin ensembles.