Constraints on dark photon dark matter using Voyager magnetometric survey

TL;DR

This paper uses Voyager magnetometric data to search for dark photon dark matter in a specific low-frequency mass range, setting new constraints and discussing future experimental sensitivities.

Contribution

It introduces a novel search for dark photon dark matter using Voyager data and explores potential improvements with future SQUID magnetometry.

Findings

No dark photon signals detected within the analyzed range.

Established new upper limits on dark photon coupling strengths.

Discussed the enhanced sensitivity of future magnetometry experiments.

Abstract

The dark photon, an new hypothetical light spin 1 field, constitutes a well-motivated dark matter candidate. It manifests as an oscillating electric field with a fixed direction, which can be observed in magnetometric records. In this letter, we use magnetometer data from the Voyager probes to look for the dark photon in the 10^-24 eV to 10^-19 eV mass range, corresponding to frequencies between 10^-9 Hz and 10^-4 Hz. We also discuss the sensitivity of possible future SQUID magnetometry experiments.