Quantum Sensing at meV Energy-Scales for Dark Matter Searches
Abstract: Over the last few decades, searches for dark matter above the proton mass have advanced significantly across direct and indirect searches, and recent efforts to detect low-mass axions have accelerated. In contrast, searches for dark matter at meV energy scales (encompassing high-mass axions and sub-GeV particle dark matter) have until recently been comparatively unprobed. In this talk, I will discuss the state of meV-scale sensing for the direct detection field, and prospects for applying quantum measurement techniques, including sensors derived from superconducting qubits, to lowering energy thresholds to the single quasiparticle limit over the next decade. I will also discuss calibration challenges that face the community and common problems that will need to be solved to accurately probe this new regime.
Bio: Noah Kurinsky completed his PhD at Stanford in 2018, working on the SuperCDMS experiment, where he led the design of the low-mass detectors for SuperCDMS SNOLAB and the first SuperCDMS HVeV electron-recoil dark matter analysis. He was subsequently a Lederman Fellow at Fermilab, where he helped establish the NEXUS underground facility for testing both TES-based phonon detectors as well as novel RF technologies, including KIDs and Qubits in low-background environments. He moved to SLAC as a Staff Scientist to found a new group focused at the intersection of superconducting qubits and dark matter detection (DMQIS), and was awarded a DOE Early Career award in 2022 to develop qubit-based sensors for dark matter detection experiments. He is a member of the SuperCDMS and ADMX collaborations and a founding member of the BREAD axion experiment and SPLENDOR dark matter experiment.
To watch online go to the IQUIST youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzAySwQXF8J4kRolUzg2ww
