Search for topological defect dark matter with a global network of optical magnetometers

Samer Afach; Ben C. Buchler; Dmitry Budker; Conner Dailey; Andrei Derevianko; Vincent Dumont; Nataniel L. Figueroa; Ilja Gerhardt; Zoran D. Grujić; Hong Guo; Chuanpeng Hao; Paul S. Hamilton; Morgan Hedges; Derek F. Jackson Kimball; Dongok Kim; Sami Khamis; Thomas Kornack; Victor Lebedev; Zheng-Tian Lu; Hector Masia-Roig; Madeline Monroy; Mikhail Padniuk; Christopher A. Palm; Sun Yool Park; Karun V. Paul; Alexander Penaflor; Xiang Peng; Maxim Pospelov; Rayshaun Preston; Szymon Pustelny; Theo Scholtes; Perrin C. Segura; Yannis K. Semertzidis; Dong Sheng; Yun Chang Shin; Joseph A. Smiga; Jason E. Stalnaker; Ibrahim Sulai; Dhruv Tandon; Tao Wang; Antoine Weis; Arne Wickenbrock; Tatum Wilson; Teng Wu; David Wurm; Wei Xiao; Yucheng Yang; Dongrui Yu; Jianwei Zhang

doi:10.1038/s41567-021-01393-y

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arXiv · 2102.13379

Search for topological defect dark matter with a global network of optical magnetometers

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Abstract

Ultralight bosons such as axion-like particles are viable candidates for dark matter. They can form stable, macroscopic field configurations in the form of topological defects that could concentrate the dark matter density into many distinct, compact spatial regions that are small compared to the galaxy but much larger than the Earth. Here, we report the results of a search for transient signals from axion-like particle domain walls with the Global Network of Optical Magnetometers for Exotic physics searches (GNOME). We search the data, consisting of correlated measurements from optical atomic magnetometers located in laboratories all over the world, for patterns of signals propagating through the network consistent with domain walls. The analysis of data from a continuous month-long operation of the GNOME finds no statistically significant signals, thus placing experimental constraints on such dark matter scenarios.

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Samer Afach, Ben C. Buchler, Dmitry Budker, Conner Dailey, Andrei Derevianko, Vincent Dumont, Nataniel L. Figueroa, Ilja Gerhardt, Zoran D. Grujić, Hong Guo, Chuanpeng Hao, Paul S. Hamilton, Morgan Hedges, Derek F. Jackson Kimball, Dongok Kim, Sami Khamis, Thomas Kornack, Victor Lebedev, Zheng-Tian Lu, Hector Masia-Roig, Madeline Monroy, Mikhail Padniuk, Christopher A. Palm, Sun Yool Park, Karun V. Paul, Alexander Penaflor, Xiang Peng, Maxim Pospelov, Rayshaun Preston, Szymon Pustelny, Theo Scholtes, Perrin C. Segura, Yannis K. Semertzidis, Dong Sheng, Yun Chang Shin, Joseph A. Smiga, Jason E. Stalnaker, Ibrahim Sulai, Dhruv Tandon, Tao Wang, Antoine Weis, Arne Wickenbrock, Tatum Wilson, Teng Wu, David Wurm, Wei Xiao, Yucheng Yang, Dongrui Yu, Jianwei Zhang. 2021-12-07. Search for topological defect dark matter with a global network of optical magnetometers. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-021-01393-y

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