Detecting the QCD axion via the ferroaxionic force with piezoelectric materials

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Arvanitaki, Asimina, Engel, Jonathan, Geraci, Andrew A., Hepburn, Alexander, Madden, Amalia, Van Tilburg, Ken
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Arvanitaki, Asimina
Engel, Jonathan
Geraci, Andrew A.
Hepburn, Alexander
Madden, Amalia
Van Tilburg, Ken
author_facet Arvanitaki, Asimina
Engel, Jonathan
Geraci, Andrew A.
Hepburn, Alexander
Madden, Amalia
Van Tilburg, Ken
contents We show that piezoelectric materials can be used to source virtual QCD axions, generating a new axion-mediated force. Spontaneous parity violation within the piezoelectric crystal combined with time-reversal violation from aligned spins provide the necessary symmetry breaking to produce an effective in-medium scalar coupling of the axion to nucleons up to 7 orders of magnitude larger than that in vacuum. We propose a detection scheme based on nuclear spin precession caused by the axion's pseudoscalar coupling to nuclear spins. This signal is resonantly enhanced when the distance between the source crystal and the spin sample is modulated at the spin precession frequency. Using this effect, future experimental setups can be sensitive to the QCD axion in the unexplored mass range from $10^{-5}\,\mathrm{eV}$ to $10^{-2}\,\mathrm{eV}$.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_10516
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Detecting the QCD axion via the ferroaxionic force with piezoelectric materials
Arvanitaki, Asimina
Engel, Jonathan
Geraci, Andrew A.
Hepburn, Alexander
Madden, Amalia
Van Tilburg, Ken
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Nuclear Theory
We show that piezoelectric materials can be used to source virtual QCD axions, generating a new axion-mediated force. Spontaneous parity violation within the piezoelectric crystal combined with time-reversal violation from aligned spins provide the necessary symmetry breaking to produce an effective in-medium scalar coupling of the axion to nucleons up to 7 orders of magnitude larger than that in vacuum. We propose a detection scheme based on nuclear spin precession caused by the axion's pseudoscalar coupling to nuclear spins. This signal is resonantly enhanced when the distance between the source crystal and the spin sample is modulated at the spin precession frequency. Using this effect, future experimental setups can be sensitive to the QCD axion in the unexplored mass range from $10^{-5}\,\mathrm{eV}$ to $10^{-2}\,\mathrm{eV}$.
title Detecting the QCD axion via the ferroaxionic force with piezoelectric materials
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Nuclear Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.10516