Speaker
Description
Since the mass scale of QCD axion dark matter is not known, a diverse array of experimental techniques are required to ensure complete coverage over the space of theories. Currently coverage is lacking at meV masses, corresponding to the so-called terahertz gap. In this talk I will describe the Semiconductor-Quantum-Well Axion Radiometer Experiment (SQWARE) — a new experimental platform for direct detection of axion dark matter in the meV mass range — based on resonantly enhanced axion-photon conversion through the inverse Primakoff effect in engineered quantum semiconductor heterostructures. I will describe the operating principles of the proposed experiment, present the projected sensitivity to axion dark matter, and discuss ongoing work in laboratories at the Rice Center for Quantum Materials.