2026/07/17 by Xiaochen Li, Bo Gao, Shigeki Matsumoto +3
#hep-ph #quant-ph
Although hidden-photon dark matter with masses above 10-4 eV is well motivated by inflationary production, it remains largely unexplored by terrestrial experiments. Through kinetic mixing, hidden photons induce a weak oscillating electric field above 10 GHz. We propose to amplify this signal using a compact high-frequency distributed cavity and detect it with chip-scale Rydberg-atom superheterodyne spectroscopy. Combining resonant enhancement, large dipole moments of Rydberg atoms, and long-term stable integration, this approach can probe hidden-photon dark matter in the mass range 5 × 10-5--7× 10-4 eV with sensitivities 3--4 orders of magnitude beyond existing limits.