Searching for Vector Wave Dark Matter with Levitated Magnetomechanics Analysis of a Hypothetical Direct Detection Experiment Using Levitating Superconductive Test Objects

Abstract

This master’s thesis investigates the sensitivity of a hypothetical direct detection experiment using levitated magnetomechanics for a vector bosonic wave dark mat ter candidate. The sensitivity studies done is for masses between 1.24 · 10−13 eV and 4.14 · 10−12 eV and with four different possible background terms, where the background is assumed to be thermally based. The vector boson is described with the Lagrangian, L = − 1 4 FµνF µν− 1 2m2 DMAµAµ+gAµnγ¯ µn, and couples to the baryon number minus the lepton number, thus yielding an EP-violating force on a charge neutral test object. Since it is ultralight it can be seen as a classical wave. To measure the sensitivity, the exclusion and discovery limits for the coupling constant, g, are asymptotically derived with the Asimov data set for 95% confidence interval and the 5σ level respectively. The limits are plotted against the mass scanned over and compared with the discovery limit for an optomechanical experiment for the same dark matter candidate. It is shown that the sensitivity for the most optimistic background is comparable with said experiment.