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Poster Session

Poster Session III

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Thursday June 19 Session S00 Oregon Convention Center:, Exhibit Hall E
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Progress toward an ultralight dark matter search with ultracold SrOH molecules

Poster 140
Presenter: Mingda Li (Harvard University)
Authors: Zack Lasner (Harvard University), Alexander Frenett (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Michigan State University), Hiromitsu Sawaoka (Harvard University), Loic Anderegg (University of Southern California), Benjamin Augenbraun (Williams College), Hana Lampson (Harvard University), Annika Lunstad (Harvard University), Abdullah Nasir (Harvard University), Jack Mango (Harvard University), Rachel Fields (Harvard University), Tasuku Ono (Harvard University), Takashi Sakamoto (University of Tokyo), John Doyle (Harvard University)

Dark matter comprises most of the mass in the universe, but its microscopic properties remain unknown. One potential candidate for dark matter is ultralight dark matter (UDM), which can interact with Standard Model particles and induce oscillations in fundamental constants [1]. A near-degeneracy of different vibrational states of SrOH (characterized by stretching of the Sr-O bond and bending from a linear geometry, respectively) enables sensitive microwave probes of UDM oscillations [2]. We have recently demonstrated a magneto-optical trap (MOT) of SrOH [3], and present ongoing work to efficiently transfer the molecules into an optical dipole trap (ODT). Additionally, we discuss characterization of the UDM-sensitive “science states” using the MOT and ODT. 

[1]: A. Arvanitaki, J. Huang, and K. Van Tilburg, Phys. Rev. D 91, 015015 (2015)

[2]: I. Kozyryev, Z. Lasner, and J. M. Doyle, Phys. Rev. A 103, 043313 (2021).  

[3]: Z. Lasner et al., arXiv:2409.04948 (2024).

Funding acknowledgement

Q-SEnSE: Quantum Systems through Entangled Science and Engineering (NSF QLCI Award OMA-2016244)

POSTERS (141)