First Search for Ultraheavy Dark Matter Using a Magnetically Levitated Particle

arXiv (Cornell University)

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.

Authors 7

1. Dennis G. Uitenbroek Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden Institute of Physics , Leiden University , P.O. Box 9504 , 2300 RA Leiden , The Netherlands

2. D. W. P. Amaral

   Institute for High Energy Physics · Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology · Rice University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics and Astronomy , Rice University , MS-315 , Houston , TX , 77005 , U.S.A

   Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE) , The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Campus UAB , 08193 Bellaterra ( Barcelona) , Spain

3. J. Qin

   National Institute of Education · Rice University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics and Astronomy , Rice University , MS-315 , Houston , TX , 77005 , U.S.A

   Natural Sciences and Science Education , National Institute of Education ,

4. Jurriaan Langendorff Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden Institute of Physics , Leiden University , P.O. Box 9504 , 2300 RA Leiden , The Netherlands

5. Andrew Gingerich

   Rice University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics and Astronomy , Rice University , MS-315 , Houston , TX , 77005 , U.S.A

6. Tjerk H. Oosterkamp Aachen

   Leiden University · Nanyang Technological University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden Institute of Physics , Leiden University , P.O. Box 9504 , 2300 RA Leiden , The Netherlands

   Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 637616 , Singapore

7. Christopher D. Tunnell

   Rice University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physics and Astronomy , Rice University , MS-315 , Houston , TX , 77005 , U.S.A