Resonance detection of dark matter axions using a DC SQUID

Abstract

© 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Inc.A method for detecting dark matter axions in which a dc SQUID serves as a detector is proposed. The SQUID is shown to be able to detect the magnetic field perturbations induced by its interaction with axions. The resonance signal appears as a current step in the SQUID current–voltage characteristic. The voltage of the step corresponds to the axion mass, while its height depends on the axion energy density in near-Earth space. The proposed method is aimed at detecting axions with masses ma ≲ 10–4 eV, which are of interest for both cosmology and particle physics.