Light dark matter axion-wind detection with a static electric field

Abstract

Abstract We explore the axionic dark matter search sensitivity with a narrow-band detection scheme aimed at the axion-photon conversion by a static electric field inside a cylindrical capacitor. An alternating magnetic field signal is induced by effective currents as the axion dark matter wind flows perpendicularly through the electric field. At low axion masses, such as in a KKLT scenario, front-end narrow band filtering is provided by using LC resonance with a high Q factor, which enhances the detectability of the tiny magnetic field signal and leads to thermal noise as the major background that can be reduced under cryogenic conditions. We demonstrate that high $$g_{a\gamma }$$ g a γ sensitivity can be achieved by using a strong electric field $$E\sim $$ E ∼ MVm $$^{-1}$$ - 1 . The QCD axion theoretical parameter space would require a high $$E\sim $$ E ∼ GVm $$^{-1}$$ - 1 field strength. Using the static electric field scheme essentially avoids exposing the sensitive superconducting pickup to an applied laboratory magnetic field.