Frequency shifts induced by light scalar fields

TL;DR

This paper explores how interactions with light scalar fields, like chameleons and symmetrons, can cause frequency shifts in matter wave interferometry, potentially constraining dark energy and dark matter models.

Contribution

It analyzes frequency shifts induced by chameleon and symmetron scalar fields in matter wave interferometry, highlighting the potential to constrain symmetron models.

Findings

Chameleon-induced frequency shifts are unlikely to provide new constraints.

Symmetron-induced frequency shifts can tightly constrain previously unexplored parameter space.

Revised the expression for chameleon frequency shifts, confirming limited constraint potential.

Abstract

Light scalar fields are frequently used in modern physics, for example, as candidates for dark energy or dark matter. Open quantum dynamical effects, like frequency shifts, induced by such fields in probe particles used in interferometry experiments might open up new perspectives for constraining such models. In this article, we consider a probe scalar particle as a rough approximation for an atom in matter wave interferometry and discuss the frequency shifts induced by interactions with an environment comprising either one of two screened scalar field models: chameleons or symmetrons. For the $n=-4$ chameleon, we revise a previously obtained expression for the induced frequency shift, but confirm that it can likely not be used to obtain new constraints. However, for symmetrons, we find that induced frequency shifts have the potential to tightly constrain previously unreachable parts of the parameter space.