Speaker
Description
Physics beyond the standard model can be probed via the
birefringence effects associated with axion dark matter backgrounds or a
passing gravitational wave (GW). Exploiting the unified formalism
between axion and high frequency GW effects, the use of optical cavities
offer an opportunity for pre-existing experiments to adapt themselves to
measure these polarization shifts. We demonstrate that with the ALPS II
infrastructure there is the possibility to search for axion masses
within the range ma ≈ 10−9 − 10−6eV. Additionally, with the proposed
experimental design, the ALPS II optical cavities are capable of GW
detection at frequencies above 100MHz to sensitivities on the order of
10−14Hz−1/2.
The use of birefringent mediums within the optical cavities such as
quarter wave plates (QWP) to eliminate suppression of the antenna
response in GW searches while improving the axion sensitivity is
presented alongside the previous results. The goal of this work is to
further contribute to the ongoing search for axion dark matter while
contributing to the growing community in search of high frequency GW
detection.
