New Constraints on Dark Photon Dark Matter with a Millimeter-Wave Dielectric Haloscope

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Authors: Guoqing Wei, Diguang Wu, Runqi Kang, Qingning Jiang, Man Jiao, Xing Rong, Jiangfeng Du
Cited by: 1
References: 50

Abstract

Dark matter remains one of the most profound and unresolved mysteries in modern physics. To unravel its nature, numerous haloscope experiments have been implemented across various mass ranges. However, very few haloscope experiments have been conducted within the millimeter-wave frequency range, which is in the favored mass region for well-motivated dark matter candidates. Here we designed and constructed a millimeter-wave dielectric haloscope featuring a dark matter detector composed of dielectric disks and a mirror. Using this setup, we conducted a search for randomly polarized dark photon dark matter and found no evidence for its existence. Our results established new constraints on the kinetic mixing parameter in the mass range from 387.72 to 391.03 μeV, improving the existing limits by 2 orders of magnitude. With future enhancements, our system has the potential to explore new parameter space for dark photons as well as axion dark matter within the millimeter-wave frequency range.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research Cosmology and Gravitation Theories

Publication details

Journal / source
Physical Review Letters
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Volume
136
Issue
7
Pages
071001–071001
Publication date
28 January 2026
Language
EN