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Sound of Dark Matter: Searching for Light Scalars with Resonant-Mass Detectors
Asimina Arvanitaki1, Savas Dimopoulos2, Ken Van Tilburg2
1Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 2Y5, Canada.
Abstract:
The fine-structure constant and the electron mass in string theory are determined by the values of scalar fields called moduli. If the dark matter takes on the form of such a light modulus, it oscillates with a frequency equal to its mass and an amplitude determined by the local dark-matter density. This translates into an oscillation of the size of a solid that can be observed by resonant-mass antennas. Existing and planned experiments, combined with a dedicated resonant-mass detector proposed in this Letter, can probe dark-matter moduli with frequencies between 1 kHz and 1 GHz, with much better sensitivity than searches for fifth forces.
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