A Dual-Band Quantum Superconducting Amplifiers for Dark Matter Search Experiments

The enigma of dark matter (DM) remains a paramount unsolved mystery in contemporary physics. Both the UK and US physics communities have been profoundly engaged in quests to unearth the nature of dark matter, particularly within the microwave spectrum concerning the faint axion-type DM candidates. These research endeavours have harnessed the power of quantum-limited components, notably the Josephson parametric amplifier (JPA), as an initial amplification stage to detect these feeble particles. Yet, JPAs exhibit narrow bandwidth. In light of the advancement in broadband traveling wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs), a transition from JPAs to TWPAs becomes a logical step, hastening the search and encompassing a wider span of DM mass possibilities.

The University of Oxford, a pivotal participant within the UK DM search community encompassing the Quantum Sensors for Hidden Sector (QSHS) consortium is pursuing the development of TWPAs to address the mass range beyond 20 GHz. In parallel, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), our collaborative counterpart, is engaged in the US Princeton Axion Search (PXS) DM experiment, focusing on sub-1 GHz detection. The mutual benefits of collaborative efforts are evident, as both entities seek to co-develop a TWPA optimised for dual-band operation.

The prospective success of this modest undertaking reverberates across multiple pivotal physics experiments in both the UK and the US. Beyond academia, the applicability of a similar TWPA device extends to diverse non-academic domains, including quantum computing platforms, remote sensing, next generation telecommunication (5/6G), and satellite-based communication in the space domain. The success of this project could catalyse a further and deeper collaboration between the two groups at Oxford and JPL, fostering future engagement in additional shared-interest projects, thereby reinforcing both academic and societal ties between the two nations in the field of quantum technologies.