Search for axion-like dark matter through nuclear spin precession in electric and magnetic fields

TL;DR

This study searches for ultra-low-mass axion-like dark matter using nuclear spin precession measurements, setting new laboratory constraints on axion couplings to gluons and nucleons within a specific mass range.

Contribution

It provides the first laboratory constraints on axion-gluon coupling and improves existing limits on axion-nucleon interactions for certain mass ranges.

Findings

No dark matter signal was detected within the tested mass range.

First laboratory constraints on axion-gluon coupling, surpassing astrophysical limits.

Enhanced laboratory limits on axion-nucleon coupling by up to 40 times.

Abstract

We report on a search for ultra-low-mass axion-like dark matter by analysing the ratio of the spin-precession frequencies of stored ultracold neutrons and $^{199}$Hg atoms for an axion-induced oscillating electric dipole moment of the neutron and an axion-wind spin-precession effect. No signal consistent with dark matter is observed for the axion mass range $10^{-24}~\textrm{eV} \le m_a \le 10^{-17}~\textrm{eV}$. Our null result sets the first laboratory constraints on the coupling of axion dark matter to gluons, which improve on astrophysical limits by up to 3 orders of magnitude, and also improves on previous laboratory constraints on the axion coupling to nucleons by up to a factor of 40.