22–26 Sept 2025
Europe/Lisbon timezone

Feasibility Study of Hidden Photon Dark Matter Searches with an Itinerant Single Microwave Photon Detector

24 Sept 2025, 12:06
6m

Speaker

Chikara Kawai (The University of Tokyo)

Description

We present the design and simulation results of a superconducting quantum sensor aimed at the direct detection of axion and hidden photon dark matter in the microwave regime. These dark matter candidates are predicted to convert into microwave photons at very low event rates through their weak coupling to electromagnetic fields, posing a significant experimental challenge.
To overcome this, we aim to employ a QND-type itinerant single microwave photon detector, based on a superconducting qubit, designed for high detection efficiency and low dark count rates in the GHz range. We evaluate this architecture through detailed simulations of the circuit design and its expected performance. Furthermore, we investigate the functionality of key components under realistic cryogenic conditions to ensure efficient photon detection. These results lay the groundwork for our future experimental implementation.

Author

Chikara Kawai (The University of Tokyo)

Co-authors

Prof. Atsushi Noguchi (RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing) Prof. Hajime Fukuda (The University of Tokyo) Kan Nakazono (The University of Tokyo) Karin Watanabe (Tokyo University) Prof. Koji Terashi (ICEPP, The University of Tokyo) Prof. Ryu Sawada (ICEPP, The University of Tokyo) Shion Chen (Kyoto University) Dr Shotaro Shirai (RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing) Takeo Moroi (Tokyo) Tatsumi Nitta (The University of Tokyo) Mr Thanaporn Sichanugrist (The University of Tokyo) Prof. Toshiaki Inada (ICEPP, The University of Tokyo) Dr Yuya Mino (ICEPP, The University of Tokyo)

Presentation materials