Quantum-enhanced dark matter detection using Schrödinger cat states

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2507.23538v1
• Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2025 13:27:10 GMT
• Title: Quantum-enhanced dark matter detection using Schrödinger cat states
• Authors: Pan Zheng, Yanyan Cai, Bin Xu, Shengcheng Wen, Libo Zhang, Zhongchu Ni, Jiasheng Mai, Yanjie Zeng, Lin Lin, Ling Hu, Xiaowei Deng, Song Liu, Jing Shu, Yuan Xu, Dapeng Yu,
• Abstract summary: We report the first experimental application of four-component Schr"odinger cat states within a high-quality superconducting microwave cavity to detect dark photons.<n>We demonstrate an 8.1-fold enhancement in the signal photon rate and constrain the dark photon kinetic mixing angle to an unprecedented $epsilon 7.32 times 10-16$ near 6.44GHz (26.6$mu$eV)<n>Our Schr"odinger's cat-assisted detection scheme demonstrates a substantial improvement over previous results, promising potential implications in quantum-enhanced searches for new physics.
• Score: 12.459284684591776
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Quantum metrology enables sensitive dark matter detection, particularly using nonclassical states, such as Schr\"odinger cat states featuring sub-Planck interference structures in microwave cavities. Here, we report the first experimental application of four-component Schr\"odinger cat states within a high-quality superconducting microwave cavity to detect dark photons, a potential dark matter candidate. We demonstrate an 8.1-fold enhancement in the signal photon rate and constrain the dark photon kinetic mixing angle to an unprecedented $\epsilon < 7.32 \times 10^{-16}$ near 6.44~GHz (26.6~$\mu$eV). By employing a parametric sideband drive to actively tune the cavity frequency, we achieve dark photon searches and background subtraction across multiple frequency bins, yielding a sensitivity at the $10^{-16}$ level within a 100~kHz bandwidth. Our Schr\"odinger's cat-assisted detection (SCaD) scheme demonstrates a substantial improvement over previous results, promising potential implications in quantum-enhanced searches for new physics.

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