Speaker
Annora Sundararajan
Description
The axion addresses two open questions: the dark matter problem, and the CP problem. It is a hypothetical new particle arising from the Peccei Quinn solution to strong CP conservation. It is feebly interacting, non-baryonic and low mass in nature, making it a compelling dark matter candidate. Sensitive direct searches for axion dark matter called haloscopes involve converting axions into microwaves at very low power. Consequently, such experiments operate in dilution refrigerators at mK temperatures. The Quantum Sensors of the Hidden Sector group (QSHS) is commissioning a new axion haloscope at the University of Sheffield.