MADMAX: a QCD dark matter axion direct-detection experiment

Abstract

Peccei and Quinn proposed axions to solve the strong CP problem. Axions later turned out to be an excellent candidate for cold dark matter. They may have a mass of around 100 μeV if generated after cosmic inflation. The MADMAX collaboration aims to detect post-inflationary QCD axion using a new detector concept, the dielectric haloscope. It detects axion-induced traveling waves from boundaries of different media, boosted by layers of dielectrics. We report the current progress and future measurement plan for a proof-of-principle setup. We also report the current development of the prototype detector and the full MADMAX experiment.