High-frequency microwave cavity design for high-mass dark matter axion searches

Abstract

Abstract The haloscope based on the TM010 mode cavity is a well-established technique for detecting QCD axions. However, the method has limitations in detecting high-mass axion due to significant volume loss in the high-frequency cavity. Utilizing a higher-order mode cavity can effectively reduce the volume loss of the high-frequency cavity. The rotatable dielectric pieces as a tuning mechanism can compensate for the degradation of the form factor of the higher-order mode. Nevertheless, the introduction of dielectric causes additional volume loss. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel design scheme by adding a central metal rod to the higher-order mode cavity tuned by dielectrics, which improves the performance of the haloscope due to the increased effective volume of the cavity detector. The superiority of the novel design is demonstrated by comparing its simulated performance with previous designs. Moreover, the feasibility of the scheme is verified by the full-wave simulation results of the mechanical design model.