Detecting Hidden Photon Dark Matter Using the Direct Excitation of Transmon Qubits

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Particle Physics
• Cosmology

Background:

• Dark matter remains a significant mystery in physics.
• Superconducting qubits are sensitive quantum systems.
• Hidden photons are a candidate for dark matter particles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel method for dark matter detection using superconducting transmon qubits.
• To assess the sensitivity of this method to hidden photon dark matter.
• To explore the potential for extending this technique to broader mass ranges and existing quantum computing platforms.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the resonant excitation of superconducting transmon qubits by the effective electric field generated from hidden photon dark matter.
• Modeling the qubit's state evolution from ground to excited state due to this interaction.
• Calculating the rate of qubit excitations and the achievable search sensitivity.
• Proposing frequency-tunable superconducting qubits for mass scanning.

Main Results:

• The proposed method can achieve kinetic mixing parameter sensitivities of ε∼10⁻¹³–10⁻¹² for hidden photons with masses around 10 μeV using a single transmon qubit.
• Frequency-tunable superconducting qubits can scan a mass range of 4–40 μeV (1–10 GHz).
• The technique shows promise for integration with existing experimental setups like cavity-based haloscopes and noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers.

Conclusions:

• Superconducting transmon qubits offer a promising new avenue for dark matter detection.
• The method provides a sensitive probe for specific dark matter candidates like hidden photons.
• Future work can expand the reach of this technique by incorporating it into advanced quantum systems and experiments.