Quantum Research Institute | The invisible drummer: A quantum optomechanical dark matter search

Abstract:
Recently the field of cavity optomechanics has entered the search for dark matter, leveraging technology capable of force measurements at or below the standard quantum limit. I’ll describe one such journey, in our lab, in which a membrane-based optomechanical system is being used to search for inertial forces produced by ultralight “dark photon” dark matter. Along the way, we have developed techniques to enhance sensitivity using tools of contemporary cavity optomechanics, including elastic strain-engineering to reduce mechanical loss, radiation pressure feedback to reduce thermal noise, and photonic crystal patterning to increase displacement sensitivity. We have also joined forces with the squeezed light metrology community, to develop a prototype entanglement-enhanced optomechanical sensor array. Against this backdrop, I’ll present our initial dark photon search results.

Bio:
Dalziel Wilson is an associate professor of optical sciences at the University of Arizona. His work in cavity optomechanics includes seminal demonstrations of radiation pressure feedback cooling, quantum-limited position measurement, optomechanical light squeezing, and quantum coherent nanomechanics. Previously, he was a visiting scientist at IBM Research–Zurich and a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at EPFL. He received his Ph.D. from Caltech in 2012 and his B.S. from UC Berkeley in 2006.