Super-Heisenberg protocol for dark matter and high-frequency gravitational wave search

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum-enhanced sensing protocol using ion crystals to detect wave-like dark matter and high-frequency gravitational waves with improved sensitivity.

Contribution

It presents a novel super-Heisenberg scaling protocol employing spin-motion squeezed states in ion crystals for dark matter and gravitational wave detection.

Findings

Achieves super-Heisenberg scaling with ion number.

Enhances sensitivity to axion-like particles and dark photons.

Provides a promising platform for exploring new parameter space.

Abstract

We propose a quantum-enhanced sensing scheme for the detection of wave-like dark matter and high-frequency gravitational waves using two-dimensional ion crystals in a Penning trap. The protocol employs spin-motion squeezed states to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and enable a super-Heisenberg scaling with respect to the number of ions over a broad parameter range. We analyze the sensitivity of the protocol to representative wave-like dark matter candidates, including the axion-like particle and the dark photon, as well as to high-frequency gravitational waves, taking into account the decoherence and dephasing of the ion spins. Our results indicate that two-dimensional ion crystals and this new protocol provide a promising platform for probing previously unexplored parameter space in searches for light dark matter and high-frequency gravitational waves.