Enhanced Dark Matter Sensitivity using a Hybrid SiPM-SNSPD-Qubit Detector in Liquid Argon
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866918278870335488 |
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| author | Abed, Faeq AlMellah, Asmaa Al-Jubouri, Kareem Lumoski, Alex |
| author_facet | Abed, Faeq AlMellah, Asmaa Al-Jubouri, Kareem Lumoski, Alex |
| contents | We investigate novel strategies to extend the sensitivity of dark matter direct detection experiments to energy deposits well below the thresholds of conventional detectors. In liquid-argon time-projection chambers equipped with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), we show that improved optical readout, combined with a nuclear dielectric constant (NDC) correction to the WIMP nucleus interaction, enhances the response to low-momentum-transfer nuclear recoils. The NDC effectively amplifies the interaction strength at small recoil energies, increasing the expected ionization and scintillation yields without modifying the high-energy behavior constrained by calibration data. When coupled to SiPM based light collection, this mechanism lowers the effective detection threshold to the subKeV regime, significantly improving sensitivity to low-mass WIMPs and other weakly interacting particles. Complementarily, we present the design and projected performance of a qubit-based detector optimized for ultra-low-energy depositions. A novel two-chip architecture is employed to minimize signal dissipation, while quantum parity measurements enable enhanced single-phonon sensitivity. Full simulations of phonon propagation and quasiparticle dynamics demonstrate that energy deposits at the level of $\gtrsim 30 meV$ can be detected with nearly unit efficiency and high energy resolution. This capability is expected to advance sensitivity to dark-matter scattering for masses $m_χ\gtrsim 0.01 MeV$ by several orders of magnitude for both light and heavy mediators, and to enable competitive searches for axion and dark-photon absorption in the $0.04 - 0.2 eV$ mass range. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_05397 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Enhanced Dark Matter Sensitivity using a Hybrid SiPM-SNSPD-Qubit Detector in Liquid Argon Abed, Faeq AlMellah, Asmaa Al-Jubouri, Kareem Lumoski, Alex Instrumentation and Detectors High Energy Physics - Experiment We investigate novel strategies to extend the sensitivity of dark matter direct detection experiments to energy deposits well below the thresholds of conventional detectors. In liquid-argon time-projection chambers equipped with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), we show that improved optical readout, combined with a nuclear dielectric constant (NDC) correction to the WIMP nucleus interaction, enhances the response to low-momentum-transfer nuclear recoils. The NDC effectively amplifies the interaction strength at small recoil energies, increasing the expected ionization and scintillation yields without modifying the high-energy behavior constrained by calibration data. When coupled to SiPM based light collection, this mechanism lowers the effective detection threshold to the subKeV regime, significantly improving sensitivity to low-mass WIMPs and other weakly interacting particles. Complementarily, we present the design and projected performance of a qubit-based detector optimized for ultra-low-energy depositions. A novel two-chip architecture is employed to minimize signal dissipation, while quantum parity measurements enable enhanced single-phonon sensitivity. Full simulations of phonon propagation and quasiparticle dynamics demonstrate that energy deposits at the level of $\gtrsim 30 meV$ can be detected with nearly unit efficiency and high energy resolution. This capability is expected to advance sensitivity to dark-matter scattering for masses $m_χ\gtrsim 0.01 MeV$ by several orders of magnitude for both light and heavy mediators, and to enable competitive searches for axion and dark-photon absorption in the $0.04 - 0.2 eV$ mass range. |
| title | Enhanced Dark Matter Sensitivity using a Hybrid SiPM-SNSPD-Qubit Detector in Liquid Argon |
| topic | Instrumentation and Detectors High Energy Physics - Experiment |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.05397 |