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arXiv:2607.12164

Axion like particles multi-parameter sensing

Hassan Manshouri, Moslem Zarei, Mehdi Abdi

quant-phastro-ph.COhep-phSubmitted Jul 13, 2026• Announced Jul 15, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

The search for the axion like particles (APLs)-one of the deepest puzzles in modern cosmology-may hold the key to understanding dark matter and dark energy. In this work, we introduce a setup taking advantage of the quantum metrology techniques to constrain the hypothetical mass and coupling constants of APLs by employing exotic pseudoscalar spin-spin interactions between fermions mediated by ALPs. A key advantage of our approach is the exploitation of position-dependent spin sensor results to the high sensitivity of the probe. To simultaneously investigate the axion mass and coupling constants, we invoke a multi-probe detection strategy. Through this strategy, we circumvent the singularity of the quantum Fisher information matrix as an ultimate upper bound on the sensitivity of any probe. For the axion masses in the range of $m_a {\le} 10^{-3} \text{eV}$, this setup can exclude values of axion coupling constants $g^e_pg^n_p$ down to $10^{-7}$.

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quant-pharXiv:2601.06816•Jan 13, 2026
The search for the axion like particles (APLs)-one of the deepest puzzles in modern cosmology-may hold the key to understanding dark matter and dark energy. In this work, we introduce a setup taking advantage of the quantum metrology techniques to constrain the hypothetical mass and coupling constants of APLs by employing exotic pseudoscalar spin-spin interactions between fermions mediated by ALPs. A key advantage of our approach is the exploitation of position-dependent spin sensor results to the high sensitivity of the probe. To simultaneously investigate the axion mass and coupling constants, we invoke a multi-probe detection strategy. Through this strategy, we circumvent the singularity of the quantum Fisher information matrix as an ultimate upper bound on the sensitivity of any probe. For the axion masses in the range of ma≤10−3eVm_a {\le} 10^{-3} \text{eV}ma​≤10−3eV, this setup can exclude values of axion coupling constants gpegpng^e_pg^n_pgpe​gpn​ down to 10−710^{-7}10−7.
New interactions mediated by novel particles propose solutions to several important questions in modern physics. Axions serve as examples of such particles; they are lightweight and interact weakly with ordinary matter. This category of particles, including those similar to axions-termed Axion-Like Particles (ALPs)-arises from diverse theoretical frameworks, such as the Peccei-Quinn mechanism addressing the strong CP problem, string theory, and spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. Given their light mass and weak coupling, ALPs are also possible candidates for cold dark matter. Introducing these new interactions mediated by novel particles not only tackles several challenges in modern physics but also raises a crucial question: Are there undiscovered interactions beyond the Standard Model? Many of the interactions predicted by these theories are spin-dependent, which is the primary focus of this review. In this review, we first outline the theoretical foundations for investigating exotic spin-dependent interactions, highlighting their importance in various models beyond the Standard Model. We examine the potential roles of new lightweight particles in mediating these interactions, which may enhance our understanding of dark matter. Relevant formulas derived from theoretical models are included to support experimental investigations. Following this theoretical framework, we conduct a detailed review of recent experimental efforts to detect these exotic interactions. A systematic review of current constraints on these interactions is presented, along with an assessment of various detection approaches.
Abstract Quantum sensors based on the superposition of neutral atoms are promising for sensing the nature of dark matter (DM). In this study, we utilize the Stern–Gerlach (SG) interferometer configuration to seek a novel method for the detection of axion-like particles (ALPs). Using an SG interferometer, we create a spatial quantum superposition of neutral atoms such as 3^{3}3 3 He and 87^{87}87 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-principles analysis that describes the temporal evolution of the sensing system. The QBE approach employs quantum field theory (QFT) to highlight the role of the quantum nature of the interactions with the quantum systems. The resulting exclusion area demonstrates that our scheme allows for the exclusion of a range of ALP mass in the range 10−10≤ma≤102 eV10^{-10}\le m_{a}\le 10^{2}\,\textrm{eV}10−10≤ma​≤102eV 10 - 10 ≤ m a ≤ 10 2 eV and ALP-atom coupling constant in the range 10−13≤gae≤10010^{-13}\le g_{ae}\le 10^{0}10−13≤gae​≤100 10 - 13 ≤ g ae ≤ 10 0 .
The axion, a pseudoscalar particle originally introduced by Peccei, Quinn, Weinberg, and Wilczek to solve the "strong CP problem", is a well motivated dark-matter candidate with a mass lying in a broad range from peV to few meV. The last decade witnessed an increasing interest in axions and axion-like particles with many theoretical works published and many new experimental proposals. A major challenge for cosmological-axion discovery is the detection of the faint signal expected in detectors with power as low as a fraction of yoctowatt corresponding to a single microwave photon per minute. Early experiments used GaAs field-effect-transistors as well as pioneering technology such as Rydberg-atom single-photon detection. In the attempt of reducing the noise temperature superconductive devices were soon introduced. Microstrip SQUID Amplifiers allowed SQUIDs to operate at frequencies of a few GHz with a noise temperature reaching the standard quantum limit. Josephson Parametric Amplifiers have been recently employed extending the search to higher frequency while boradband Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifiers are now under study. The ultimate sensitivity, beyond the quantum limit, is however expected from single microwave-photon detectors. Solutions for quantum sensing include quantum non-demolition measurements and switching detectors based on superconducting qubits and hot-electron detectors. A further improvement in signal sensitivity and noise reduction is expected exploiting arrays of superconducting qubits as proposed by the SUPERGALAX project.
The hypothetical axion particle (of unknown mass) is a leading candidate for dark matter (DM).Many experiments search for axions with microwave cavities, where an axion may convert into a cavity photon, leading to a feeble excess in the output power of the cavity.Recent work [Backes et al., Nature 590, 238 (2021)] has demonstrated that injecting squeezed vacuum into the cavity can substantially accelerate the axion search.Here, we go beyond and provide a theoretical framework to leverage the benefits of quantum squeezing in a network setting consisting of many sensor cavities.By forming a local sensor network, the signals among the cavities can be combined coherently to boost the axion search.Furthermore, injecting multipartite entanglement across the cavities-generated by splitting a squeezed vacuum-enables a global noise reduction.We explore the performance advantage of such a local, entangled sensor network, which enjoys both coherence between the axion signals and entanglement between the sensors.Our analyses are pertinent to next-generation DM-axion searches aiming to leverage a network of sensors and quantum resources in an optimal way.Finally, we assess the possibility of using a more exotic quantum state, the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) state.Despite a constant-factor improvement in the scan time relative to a single-mode squeezed state in the ideal case, the advantage of employing a GKP state disappears when a practical measurement scheme is considered.
Quantum phase measurements offer a complementary route to axion searches. We show that axion-photon interactions can imprint both Aharonov-Bohm (AB) and Berry phases in experimentally motivated quantum setups. For a coherently oscillating axion dark matter background, the induced effective current generates a time dependent magnetic flux in an rf-SQUID, leading to a measurable voltage signal through the Josephson phase. For representative benchmarks, this AB phase search reaches the minimum axion-photon coupling gaγγ_{aγγ}aγγ​min^{min}min ∼ 7.8 × 10−14^{-14}−14 GeV−1^{-1}−1 at axion mass ma_aa​ ∼ 10−10^{-10}−10 eV, with projected sensitivity that can improve on existing limits in that parameter space by roughly one to two orders of magnitude. We also identify a geometric phase observable in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with an adiabatically rotating magnetic field, providing a proof-of-principle phase-based probe of meV-scale axions even when they do not constitute the dark matter, although sensitivity on the coupling remains weaker than current bounds with conservative tabletop benchmarks. Extending the analysis to a three level photon-axion quasiparticle (AQP)-axion system, with the AQP realized in a topological magnetic insulator, we find a potentially measurable THz Berry phase dominated by the AQP sector, furnishing a nontrivial validation of the formalism in a richer coupled system. These setups establish quantum phase observables as a useful new framework for axion searches, with immediate phenomenological promise in superconducting circuits and longer term potential in quantum enhanced interferometry.
Conventional nuclear magnetic resonance searches for the galactic axion wind lose sensitivity at low frequencies due to the unfavourable scaling of inductive readout. Here, we propose a hybrid architecture where the hyperfine interaction transduces axion-driven nuclear precession into a high-bandwidth electron-spin readout channel. We demonstrate analytically that this dispersive upconversion preserves the specific sidereal and annual modulation signatures required to distinguish dark matter signals from instrumental backgrounds. When instantiated in a silicon 209Bi{ }^{209} \text{Bi}209Bi donor platform, the hybrid sensor is projected to outperform direct nuclear detection by more than an order of magnitude over the 10−16−10−10eV10^{-16}-10^{-10} \text{eV}10−16−10−10eV wide mass range. With collective enhancement, the design reaches a 5σ5 σ5σ sensitivity to DFSZ axion-nucleon couplings within one year, establishing hyperfine-mediated sensing as a competitive path for compact, solid-state dark matter searches.