Abstract
Detection of light dark matter, such as axion-like particles, puts stringent requirements on the efficiency and dark-count rates of microwave-photon detectors. The possibility of operating a current-biased Josephson junction as a single-microwave photon-detector was investigated through numerical simulations, and through an initial characterization of two Al junctions fabricated by shadow mask evaporation, done in a dilution refrigerator by measuring escape currents at different temperatures, from 40 mK up to the Al transition temperature. The escape dynamics of the junctions were reproduced in the simulation, including the dissipative effects. Inhibition of thermal activation was observed, leaving the macroscopic quantum tunneling as the dominant effect well beyond the crossover temperature.
Highlights
Detection of AxionsIn the 70s, an extension of the standard model of particle physics was advanced to explain the absence of CP violation in the strong interaction (strong CP problem) [1,2]
Axions are an example of weakly interacting slim particles (WISPs), a category of particles emerging from many extensions of the standard model
In this paper we describe the device and its response to photon excitations obtained from simulations of different experimental conditions, showing that single photons can induce the switch of a Josephson junction (JJ)
Summary
In the 70s, an extension of the standard model of particle physics was advanced to explain the absence of CP violation in the strong interaction (strong CP problem) [1,2]. The theory predicts the existence of additional particles called axions [3,4]—sub-eV particles with feeble interactions with ordinary matter, which could be abundantly produced nonthermally in the early universe [5]. These characteristics make them good candidates for explaining the composition of cold dark matter (CDM) in the universe [6,7,8], an issue that modern cosmology and particle physics are still tackling. Axions are an example of weakly interacting slim particles (WISPs), a category of particles emerging from many extensions of the standard model. As discussed photon detectors may have better signal-to-noise ratios than quantum amplifiers, especially if they have low dark-count rates
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