Axion/hidden-photon dark matter conversion into condensed matter axion

Abstract

The QCD axion or axion-like particles are candidates of dark matter of the universe. On the other hand, axion-like excitations exist in certain condensed matter systems, which implies that there can be interactions of dark matter particles with condensed matter axions. We discuss the relationship between the condensed matter axion and a collective spin-wave excitation in an anti-ferromagnetic insulator at the quantum level. The conversion rate of the light dark matter, such as the elementary particle axion or hidden photon, into the condensed matter axion is estimated for the discovery of the dark matter signals.

Snowmass white paper: Light dark matter direct detection at the interface with condensed matter physics

“…This is closely related to the idea of the QUAX experiment [85][86][87][88][89], which aims to detect axion DM induced classical spin waves. Another recent proposal is to use antiferromagnetic topological insulators that host axion-like quasiparticles with tunable gap for axion DM detection [40][41][42].…”

“…Dirac materials [23][24][25], aromatic organics [26,27], via the Migdal effect [28,29], molecular dissociation or excitation [30][31][32], defect production [33,34], collective excitations in superfluid helium [35,36], phonon [37,38] and magnon [39] excitations in crystals, and axion quasiparticles in antiferromagnetic topological insulators [40][41][42]. Meanwhile, several ongoing experiments, including XENON [7,8], DarkSide [6], DAMIC [43][44][45], SENSEI [46][47][48][49], SuperCDMS [50][51][52][53][54][55][56], CDEX [57] and EDELWEISS [58][59][60], are already conducting searches with electronic excitations readout.…”

Topology-insensitive axion mass in magnetic topological insulators

“…On top of that it has been proposed in Refs. [3][4][5] that the axion in the magnetic TIs can be a possible excitation signal in the detection of particle axion, which is a good candidate for dark matter of the universe. On the other hand, a static axion or constant axion is known as the magnetoelectric effect [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Axion detection with phonon-polaritons revisited

“…Dielectric haloscopes have been proposed [18] and prototypes implemented [19,20] in the optical frequency range, but they still face problems at intermediate, THz, frequencies. One route to THz resonant axion technology is the use of axion-polaritons [21][22][23]. Axionpolaritons are formed by mass-mixing between magnetic axion-quasiparticles and the (free) electric field inside topological insulators, and can in principle be tuned via an applied magnetic field.…”