Quantum-Enhanced Dark Matter Search Using Cat States

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zheng, Pan, Cai, Yanyan, Xu, Bin, Wen, Shengcheng, Zhang, Libo, Ni, Zhongchu, Mai, Jiasheng, Zeng, Yanjie, Lin, Lin, Hu, Ling, Deng, Xiaowei, Liu, Song, Shu, Jing, Xu, Yuan, Yu, Dapeng
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Zheng, Pan
Cai, Yanyan
Xu, Bin
Wen, Shengcheng
Zhang, Libo
Ni, Zhongchu
Mai, Jiasheng
Zeng, Yanjie
Lin, Lin
Hu, Ling
Deng, Xiaowei
Liu, Song
Shu, Jing
Xu, Yuan
Yu, Dapeng
author_facet Zheng, Pan
Cai, Yanyan
Xu, Bin
Wen, Shengcheng
Zhang, Libo
Ni, Zhongchu
Mai, Jiasheng
Zeng, Yanjie
Lin, Lin
Hu, Ling
Deng, Xiaowei
Liu, Song
Shu, Jing
Xu, Yuan
Yu, Dapeng
contents Quantum metrology has recently emerged as a powerful approach for dark matter (DM) searches, particularly using nonclassical bosonic states in microwave cavities that are sensitive to weak signals. Nonclassical cat states - macroscopic superpositions of coherent states featuring sub-Planck interference structures - offer promising advantages for high-precision measurements. However, their practical utility in DM search remains unexplored. Here, we report the first experimental application of four-component cat states within a high-quality superconducting microwave cavity to search for dark photons, a potential DM candidate. We demonstrate an 8.1-fold enhancement in the signal photon rate and constrain the dark photon kinetic mixing angle to an unprecedented $ε< 7.32 \times 10^{-16}$ near 6.44~GHz (26.6~$μ$eV). By employing a parametric sideband drive to actively tune the cavity frequency, we achieve dark photon searches and background subtraction across multiple frequency bins, yielding a sensitivity at the $10^{-16}$ level within a 100~kHz bandwidth. Our cat-assisted DM (CaD) search and frequency-scanning techniques demonstrate substantial improvements over previous results, promising potential implications in quantum-enhanced searches for new physics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_23538
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Quantum-Enhanced Dark Matter Search Using Cat States
Zheng, Pan
Cai, Yanyan
Xu, Bin
Wen, Shengcheng
Zhang, Libo
Ni, Zhongchu
Mai, Jiasheng
Zeng, Yanjie
Lin, Lin
Hu, Ling
Deng, Xiaowei
Liu, Song
Shu, Jing
Xu, Yuan
Yu, Dapeng
Quantum Physics
High Energy Physics - Experiment
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Quantum metrology has recently emerged as a powerful approach for dark matter (DM) searches, particularly using nonclassical bosonic states in microwave cavities that are sensitive to weak signals. Nonclassical cat states - macroscopic superpositions of coherent states featuring sub-Planck interference structures - offer promising advantages for high-precision measurements. However, their practical utility in DM search remains unexplored. Here, we report the first experimental application of four-component cat states within a high-quality superconducting microwave cavity to search for dark photons, a potential DM candidate. We demonstrate an 8.1-fold enhancement in the signal photon rate and constrain the dark photon kinetic mixing angle to an unprecedented $ε< 7.32 \times 10^{-16}$ near 6.44~GHz (26.6~$μ$eV). By employing a parametric sideband drive to actively tune the cavity frequency, we achieve dark photon searches and background subtraction across multiple frequency bins, yielding a sensitivity at the $10^{-16}$ level within a 100~kHz bandwidth. Our cat-assisted DM (CaD) search and frequency-scanning techniques demonstrate substantial improvements over previous results, promising potential implications in quantum-enhanced searches for new physics.
title Quantum-Enhanced Dark Matter Search Using Cat States
topic Quantum Physics
High Energy Physics - Experiment
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.23538