Design and Operational Experience of a Microwave Cavity Axion Detector for the 20-100 micro-eV Range

TL;DR

This paper details the design, construction, and initial operation of a microwave cavity axion detector targeting the 20-100 micro-eV range, utilizing innovative technologies like Josephson parametric amplifiers and dilution refrigerators.

Contribution

It introduces a flexible, small-scale platform for developing and testing new microwave cavity and amplifier technologies in axion detection.

Findings

First to deploy Josephson parametric amplifier in axion search

Achieved near-quantum limited performance

Completed initial data collection in the 20-100 micro-eV range

Abstract

We describe a dark matter axion detector designed, constructed, and operated both as an innovation platform for new cavity and amplifier technologies and as a data pathfinder in the $5 - 25$ GHz range ($\sim20-100\: \mu$eV). The platform is small but flexible to facilitate the development of new microwave cavity and amplifier concepts in an operational environment. The experiment has recently completed its first data production; it is the first microwave cavity axion search to deploy a Josephson parametric amplifier and a dilution refrigerator to achieve near-quantum limited performance.