Sound of Dark Matter: Searching for Light Scalars with Resonant-Mass Detectors

2015/08/31 by Asimina Arvanitaki, Savas Dimopoulos, Ken Van Tilburg · 153 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Amplitude #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark matter #Detector #Moduli #Optics #Oscillation (cell signaling) #Particle physics #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Scalar (mathematics) #Scientific Research and Discoveries #hep-ex #hep-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.116.031102

published in Physical Review Letters 116(3), 031102 (American Physical Society) · 5 pages, 3 figures

openalex publication_date 2016/01/22 · arxiv created 2016/01/24 · arxiv updated 2016/01/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

The fine-structure constant and the electron mass in string theory are determined by the values of scalar fields called moduli. If the dark matter takes on the form of such a light modulus, it oscillates with a frequency equal to its mass and an amplitude determined by the local dark-matter density. This translates into an oscillation of the size of a solid that can be observed by resonant-mass antennas. Existing and planned experiments, combined with a dedicated resonant-mass detector proposed in this Letter, can probe dark-matter moduli with frequencies between 1 kHz and 1 GHz, with much better sensitivity than searches for fifth forces.

Citations

• Results of the IGEC-2 search for gravitational wave bursts during 2005
• Progress in Lunar Laser Ranging Tests of Relativistic Gravity
• Detectability of gravitational wave events by spherical resonant-mass antennas
• Constraining the gravitational wave energy density of the Universe using Earth’s ring

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• The Sun: Light Dark Matter and Sterile Neutrinos