Probing axion-like particles with RF cavities separated by thin barrier

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel laboratory setup using separated RF cavities with a thin barrier to improve the detection sensitivity of axion-like particles within a specific mass range, advancing experimental search methods.

Contribution

It analytically evaluates the sensitivity of RF cavity experiments with thin barriers for ALP detection, highlighting potential improvements over existing methods.

Findings

Enhanced sensitivity in ALP mass range $10^{-6}$ to $10^{-4}$ eV

Analytical evaluation of off-shell regime sensitivity

Thin wall separation improves laboratory probe capabilities

Abstract

We address the Light-Shining-Through-a-thin-Wall (LSthinW) laboratory setup to estimate the sensitivity of axion-like particle (ALP) detection using two radio-frequency (RF) cavities immersed in a static magnetic field. We analytically evaluate the asymptotic sensitivity in the off-shell regime for the lowest electromagnetic pump modes. We show that a sufficiently thin wall separating can lead to the improved sensitivity of the pure laboratory probes of ALP in the mass range $10^{-6}~{\rm eV} \lesssim m_a \lesssim 10^{-4}~{\rm eV}$.