# Searching for Dark Photon Dark Matter in LIGO O1 Data

## TL;DR

This paper reports a direct search for ultralight dark photon dark matter using LIGO O1 data, achieving sensitivity to specific coupling strengths and mass ranges, bridging gravitational wave detection and particle physics.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel method to search for dark photon dark matter using gravitational wave data, providing the first direct constraints in this context.

## Key findings

- Achieved sensitivity to squared coupling of ~4 x 10^-45
- Set constraints on dark photon mass around 4 x 10^-13 eV
- Demonstrated potential for improved future searches

## Abstract

Dark matter exists in our Universe, but its nature remains mysterious. The remarkable sensitivity of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) may be able to solve this mystery. A good dark matter candidate is the ultralight dark photon. Because of its interaction with ordinary matter, it induces displacements on LIGO mirrors that can lead to an observable signal. In a study that bridges gravitational wave science and particle physics, we perform a direct dark matter search using data from LIGO's first (O1) data run, as opposed to an indirect search for dark matter via its production of gravitational waves. We demonstrate an achieved sensitivity on squared coupling as $\sim 4 \times 10^{-45}$, in a $U(1)_{\rm B}$ dark photon dark matter mass band around $m_{\rm A} \sim 4 \times 10^{-13}$eV. Substantially improved search sensitivity is expected during the coming years of continued data taking by LIGO and other gravitational wave detectors in a growing global network.