Date and time: Tuesday October 25th, 2022 @16:00 (CEST)
Speaker: Clara Murgui (Caltech)
Title: "Atom Interferometer Tests of Dark Matter"
Abstract: Direct detection experiments for dark matter are increasingly ruling out large parameter spaces. However, light dark matter models with particle masses << GeV are still largely unconstrained. Here we examine a proposal to use atom interferometers to detect a light dark matter subcomponent at sub-GeV masses. We describe the decoherence and phase shifts caused by dark matter scattering off of one "arm" of an atom interferometer using a generalized dark matter direct detection framework. This allows us to consider multiple channels: nuclear recoils, hidden photon processes, and axion interactions. We apply this framework to several proposed atom interferometer experiments. Because atom interferometers are sensitive to extremely low momentum deposition and their coherent atoms give them a boost in sensitivity, these experiments will be highly competitive and complementary to other direct detection methods.