Probing Dark Matter-Electron Interactions with Superconducting Qubits

TL;DR

This paper utilizes superconducting transmon qubits to detect and constrain dark matter-electron interactions by analyzing decoherence time anomalies, providing new laboratory bounds on dark matter properties.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of using superconducting qubits to probe dark matter interactions, setting the most stringent laboratory constraints to date on certain dark matter models.

Findings

Set new limits on dark matter-electron scattering at keV energies.

Identified unexplained residual decoherence potentially linked to dark matter interactions.

Provided competitive constraints on dark photon absorption.

Abstract

Quantum device measurements are powerful tools to probe dark matter interactions. Among these, transmon qubits stand out for their ability to suppress external noise while remaining highly sensitive to tiny energy deposits. Ambient galactic halo dark matter interacting with electrons can deposit energy in the qubit, leading to changes in its decoherence time. Recent measurements of transmons have consistently measured, in various experimental setups, a residual contribution to the decoherence time unexplained by thermal noise or known external sources. We use such measurements to set the most stringent laboratory-based constraints to date on dark matter-electron scattering at the keV scale and competitive constraints on dark photon absorption.