Searching for Scalar Wave Dark Matter with Levitated Magnetomechanics Sensitivity Studies for a Hypothetical Direct Detection Experiment Using Superconducting Levitating Objects
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Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Physics (MPPHS), MSc
Publicerad
2023
Författare
CARLSSON SALOMON, AMANDA
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
This thesis investigates the light scalar boson, with mass between 1.24 · 10−13 and
4.14 · 10−12 eV, as a wave dark matter candidate. For such low masses, the bosons
can be described as a classical wave instead of individual particles, which motivates
a field description of the dark matter. The scalar boson is assumed to interact
only with neutrons in a charge-neutral test object, giving it a time-dependent EP violating acceleration that can be detected in a direct detection experiment. The
focus of this thesis was to develop a theoretical and statistical framework for the
scalar boson by deriving this EP-violating acceleration, and applying the principle
of detection to a potential experiment at Chalmers University of Technology using
levitated magnetomechanics. The achievable experimental sensitivity could then be
estimated for the hypothetical experiment with analytic derivations of exclusion and
discovery limits for the scalar-neutron coupling constant. The purpose of the limits
was to determine for which values of the coupling constant the dark matter candidate
could be detected or not, and they were derived analytically with the help of a
likelihood formalism utilising the so called Asimov data set. Comparing the results
with a similar analysis done for the same dark matter candidate, the achievable
sensitivity for the proposed magnetic levitation experiment could be concluded to
be relatively high.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Wave dark matter, light dark matter, scalar boson, EP-violation, direct detection, levitated magnetomechanics, experimental sensitivity, Asimov data set, exclusion limit, discovery limit.