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arXiv:2608.20464

First Search for Ultraheavy Dark Matter Using a Magnetically Levitated Particle

Dennis G. Uitenbroek, Dorian W. P. Amaral, Juehang Qin, Jurriaan Langendorff, Andrew Gingerich, Tjerk H. Oosterkamp, Christopher D. Tunnell

hep-phhep-exquant-phSubmitted Aug 20, 2026• Announced Aug 24, 2026
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Abstract

We present the first search for ultraheavy dark matter using a magnetically levitated particle. The POLONAISE experiment uses a milligram-scale ferromagnet levitated in a superconducting trap, admitting a force sensitivity of $0.07\,\mathrm{fN\,Hz^{-1/2}}$ and resolving impulses as small as $1\,\mathrm{TeV}/c$. Treating every candidate impulse as a possible dark matter event, we set optimum-interval upper limits on the neutron coupling $α_n$ for dark matter interacting through a new light mediator. For dark matter masses $10^6\,\mathrm{GeV}/c^2\text{-}10^{15}\,\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$ and mediators lighter than $30\,\mathrm{meV}/c^2$, we exclude couplings as low as $α_n = 3.2\times 10^{-9}$ at $95\%$ confidence level and set leading constraints on the dark matter-neutron cross section for composite dark matter. Our results extend levitated sensing beyond the mass reach of optical levitation by seven orders of magnitude into the ultraheavy dark matter frontier.

Comments
6 pages, 6 appendices, 6 figures

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We present the first search for ultraheavy dark matter using a magnetically levitated particle. The POLONAISE experiment uses a milligram-scale ferromagnet levitated in a superconducting trap, admitting a force sensitivity of 0.07 fN Hz−1/20.07\,\mathrm{fN\,Hz^{-1/2}}0.07fNHz−1/2 and resolving impulses as small as 1 TeV/c1\,\mathrm{TeV}/c1TeV/c. Treating every candidate impulse as a possible dark matter event, we set optimum-interval upper limits on the neutron coupling αnα_nαn​ for dark matter interacting through a new light mediator. For dark matter masses 106 GeV/c2-1015 GeV/c210^6\,\mathrm{GeV}/c^2\text{-}10^{15}\,\mathrm{GeV}/c^2106GeV/c2-1015GeV/c2 and mediators lighter than 30 meV/c230\,\mathrm{meV}/c^230meV/c2, we exclude couplings as low as αn=3.2×10−9α_n = 3.2\times 10^{-9}αn​=3.2×10−9 at 95%95\%95% confidence level and set leading constraints on the dark matter-neutron cross section for composite dark matter. Our results extend levitated sensing beyond the mass reach of optical levitation by seven orders of magnitude into the ultraheavy dark matter frontier.
Many well theoretically motivated models of ultralight dark matter are expected to give rise to feeble oscillatory forces on macroscopic objects. Optically trapped sensors have high force sensitivities but have remained relatively unexplored in this context. In this work we propose a new, tunable, optically trapped sensor specifically designed to detect such forces. Our design features a high-mass (∼\sim∼ mg) plate whose high aspect ratio allows its weight to be supported by a vertical beam without excessive heating. We present the first systematic analysis and optimisation of quantum noises in optically trapped systems and show that our setup has the potential to operate at the standard quantum limit with current off-the-shelf technologies. We demonstrate that our sensor could offer unique access to large regions of uncharted parameter space of vector B-L dark matter, with projected sensitivities that could advance existing limits by several orders of magnitude over a broad range of frequencies.
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A new frontier in the search for dark matter (DM) is based on the idea of detecting the decoherence caused by DM scattering against a mesoscopic superposition of normal matter. Such superpositions are uniquely sensitive to very small momentum transfers from new particles and forces, especially DM with a mass below 100 MeV. Here we investigate what sorts of dark sectors are inaccessible with existing methods but would induce noticeable decoherence in the next generation of matter interferometers. We show that very soft but medium range ($0.1\text{ }\mathrm{nm}--1\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$) elastic interactions between nuclei and DM are particularly suitable. We construct toy models for such interactions, discuss existing constraints, and delineate the expected sensitivity of forthcoming experiments. The first hints of DM in these devices would appear as small variations in the anomalous decoherence rate with a period of one sidereal day. This is a generic signature of interstellar sources of decoherence, clearly distinguishing it from terrestrial backgrounds. The OTIMA experiment under development in Vienna will begin to probe Earth-thermalizing DM once sidereal variations in the background decoherence rate are pushed below one part in a hundred for superposed 5-nm gold nanoparticles. The proposals by Bateman et al. and Geraci et al. could be similarly sensitive although they would require at least a month of data taking. DM that is absorbed or elastically reflected by the Earth, and so avoids a greenhouse density enhancement, would not be detectable by those three experiments. On the other hand, the aggressive proposals of the MAQRO collaboration and Pino et al. would immediately open up many orders of magnitude in DM mass, interaction range, and coupling strength, regardless of how DM behaves in bulk matter.
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.
Levitated mechanical oscillators are emerging ultrasensitive sensors with tremendous potential in both applied and fundamental physics. Levitated ferromagnets, with internal spin noises rapidly averaged, promise ultrahigh magnetic sensitivity. Here, we demonstrate a milligram-scale diamagnetically levitated ferromagnet system operating at room temperature. Through optimized geometry and multi-channel dissipation control, we achieve a magnetic sensitivity of 23~fT/Hz/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}/Hz​ at frequency of 100-Hz level. We anticipate that a ferromagnetic magnetometer with subfemtotesla sensitivity is within reach, after modest technical improvements. This platform establishes a high-performance magnetometer for biomagnetic field detection and beyond-standard-model force searches.