Speaker
Description
The QUAntum LImited PHotons In the Dark Experiment (QUALIPHIDE) is primarily a search for hidden photon dark matter. Our far-infrared variant uses an array of single O(THz) photon counting Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors coupled to a metallic dish. The presence of on-and-off focus pixels allows for the construction of a data-driven background model and thus results in an experiment with true dark matter discovery potential. With wideband sensitivity in the ~3–120 THz frequency range (hidden photon masses of 13-500 meV c$^{-2}$), and using data from a day-long exposure, we present results from a blinded search for hidden photons and provide constraints on the kinetic mixing parameter $\chi$ down to the 10$^{-12}$ level within the majority of this range. We also report on a search for nuclear/electronic recoil events directly scattering within the small volume superconducting sensors, likely yielding the first ever terrestrial constraints on certain light O(10) keVc$^{-2}$ dark matter species.
| Main Contribution topic | Axion / Sterile |
|---|---|
| Secondary contribution topic | Light Dark Matter |