One of the most outstanding puzzles in modern physics is the nature of dark matter (DM). This pressing question is the focus of my proposed projects. Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are well-motivated candidates of dark matter. In the near future, irreducible neutrino backgrounds will limit conventional methods of searching for WIMP DM. My research aims to develop experimental techniques at the frontiers of solid-state quantum sensing that could potentially enable directional WIMP detectors. It is possible to probe WIMP candidates (even in the presence of the neutrino backgrounds) with such a directional detector, since it can efficiently distinguish neutrinos from DM using their distinct flux angular distribution. In the second part of my planned effort, I will examine the interactions between axion/dark photon DM (another class of well-motivated DM candidates) and non-linear electro-optical materials. With precision measurement methods, we can test how the oscillating background of light DM affects material properties. The results of such studies could open up new possibilities for probing DM as initial estimates suggest.
For the duration of the grant, the Fellow will have a doctoral advisor (Ronald Walsworth) at the legal organization (University of Maryland) and a cross-discipline advisor (Surjeet Rajendran) at the partnering organization (Johns Hopkins University).
