Search for ultralight dark matter in the SuperMAG high-fidelity dataset

Abstract

Ultralight dark matter, such as kinetically mixed dark-photon dark matter (DPDM) or axion-like-particle dark matter (axion DM), can source an oscillating magnetic-field signal at Earth’s surface. Previous work searched for this signal in a publicly available dataset of global magnetometer measurements maintained by the SuperMAG collaboration. This “low-fidelity” dataset reported measurements with a 1-min time resolution, allowing the search to set leading direct constraints on DPDM and axion DM with Compton frequencies <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <a:mrow> <a:msub> <a:mrow> <a:mi>f</a:mi> </a:mrow> <a:mrow> <a:mi>DM</a:mi> </a:mrow> </a:msub> <a:mo>≤</a:mo> <a:mn>1</a:mn> <a:mo>/</a:mo> <a:mo stretchy="false">(</a:mo> <a:mn>1</a:mn> <a:mtext> </a:mtext> <a:mtext> </a:mtext> <a:mi>min</a:mi> <a:mo stretchy="false">)</a:mo> </a:mrow> </a:math> (corresponding to masses <e:math xmlns:e="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <e:mrow> <e:msub> <e:mrow> <e:mi>m</e:mi> </e:mrow> <e:mrow> <e:mi>DM</e:mi> </e:mrow> </e:msub> <e:mo>≤</e:mo> <e:mn>7</e:mn> <e:mo>×</e:mo> <e:msup> <e:mrow> <e:mn>10</e:mn> </e:mrow> <e:mrow> <e:mo>−</e:mo> <e:mn>17</e:mn> </e:mrow> </e:msup> <e:mtext> </e:mtext> <e:mtext> </e:mtext> <e:mi>eV</e:mi> </e:mrow> </e:math> ). More recently, a dedicated experiment undertaken by the SNIPE Hunt collaboration has also searched for this same signal at higher frequencies <g:math xmlns:g="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <g:mrow> <g:msub> <g:mrow> <g:mi>f</g:mi> </g:mrow> <g:mrow> <g:mi>DM</g:mi> </g:mrow> </g:msub> <g:mo>≥</g:mo> <g:mn>0.5</g:mn> <g:mtext> </g:mtext> <g:mtext> </g:mtext> <g:mi>Hz</g:mi> </g:mrow> </g:math> (or <i:math xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <i:mrow> <i:msub> <i:mrow> <i:mi>m</i:mi> </i:mrow> <i:mrow> <i:mi>DM</i:mi> </i:mrow> </i:msub> <i:mo>≥</i:mo> <i:mn>2</i:mn> <i:mo>×</i:mo> <i:msup> <i:mrow> <i:mn>10</i:mn> </i:mrow> <i:mrow> <i:mo>−</i:mo> <i:mn>15</i:mn> </i:mrow> </i:msup> <i:mtext> </i:mtext> <i:mtext> </i:mtext> <i:mi>eV</i:mi> </i:mrow> </i:math> ). In this work, we search for this signal of ultralight DM in the SuperMAG “high-fidelity” dataset, which features a 1-sec time resolution, allowing us to probe the gap in parameter space between the low-fidelity dataset and the SNIPE Hunt experiment. The high-fidelity dataset exhibits lower geomagnetic noise than the low-fidelity dataset and features more data than the SNIPE Hunt experiment, making it a powerful probe of ultralight DM. Our search finds no robust DPDM or axion DM candidates. We set constraints on DPDM and axion DM parameter space for <k:math xmlns:k="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <k:mrow> <k:msup> <k:mrow> <k:mn>10</k:mn> </k:mrow> <k:mrow> <k:mo>−</k:mo> <k:mn>3</k:mn> </k:mrow> </k:msup> <k:mtext> </k:mtext> <k:mtext> </k:mtext> <k:mi>Hz</k:mi> <k:mo>≤</k:mo> <k:msub> <k:mrow> <k:mi>f</k:mi> </k:mrow> <k:mrow> <k:mi>DM</k:mi> </k:mrow> </k:msub> <k:mo>≤</k:mo> <k:mn>0.98</k:mn> <k:mtext> </k:mtext> <k:mtext> </k:mtext> <k:mi>Hz</k:mi> </k:mrow> </k:math> (or <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <m:mrow> <m:mn>4</m:mn> <m:mo>×</m:mo> <m:msup> <m:mrow> <m:mn>10</m:mn> </m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mo>−</m:mo> <m:mn>18</m:mn> </m:mrow> </m:msup> <m:mtext> </m:mtext> <m:mtext> </m:mtext> <m:mi>eV</m:mi> <m:mo>≤</m:mo> <m:msub> <m:mrow> <m:mi>m</m:mi> </m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mi>DM</m:mi> </m:mrow> </m:msub> <m:mo>≤</m:mo> <m:mn>4</m:mn> <m:mo>×</m:mo> <m:msup> <m:mrow> <m:mn>10</m:mn> </m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mo>−</m:mo> <m:mn>15</m:mn> </m:mrow> </m:msup> <m:mtext> </m:mtext> <m:mtext> </m:mtext> <m:mi>eV</m:mi> </m:mrow> </m:math> ). Our results are the leading direct constraints on both DPDM and axion DM in this mass range, and our DPDM constraint surpasses the leading astrophysical constraint in a narrow range around <o:math xmlns:o="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <o:msub> <o:mi>m</o:mi> <o:msup> <o:mi>A</o:mi> <o:mo>′</o:mo> </o:msup> </o:msub> <o:mo>≈</o:mo> <o:mn>2</o:mn> <o:mo>×</o:mo> <o:msup> <o:mn>10</o:mn> <o:mrow> <o:mo>−</o:mo> <o:mn>15</o:mn> </o:mrow> </o:msup> <o:mtext> </o:mtext> <o:mtext> </o:mtext> <o:mi>eV</o:mi> </o:math> . Published by the American Physical Society 2024

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