Searching for Scalar Field Dark Matter with LIGO

Area of Science:

• Astrophysics
• Cosmology
• Particle Physics

Background:

• Dark matter constitutes a significant portion of the universe's mass.
• Scalar fields are a leading candidate for dark matter.
• Direct detection of dark matter is crucial for understanding its nature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a direct search for scalar field dark matter.
• To analyze potential oscillations in LIGO interferometers caused by scalar field dark matter.
• To set new constraints on the properties of scalar field dark matter.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the third observing run of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).
• Developed and applied efficient search methodologies to detect oscillations in interferometer components.
• Analyzed the coupling between scalar fields and the physical masses within the LIGO detectors.

Main Results:

• Established new upper limits on the coupling constants of scalar field dark matter.
• Achieved improvements of up to four orders of magnitude compared to previous direct search bounds.
• Constrained scalar field dark matter within a frequency band of 10 to 180 Hz.

Conclusions:

• The study provides the most stringent direct constraints to date on certain models of scalar field dark matter.
• The employed search techniques demonstrate enhanced sensitivity for detecting such signals.
• This research contributes to narrowing down the parameter space for viable dark matter candidates.