BSM-PM: Searches for Beyond the Standard Model Physics with Optically Levitated Microparticle Arrays

About This Grant

Although current physics theories successfully explain nearly all laboratory experiments carried out to date, they cannot account for key properties of the universe as determined from astrophysics. For instance, the observed structure of the universe can only be explained through the existence of dark matter—a form of matter that is fundamentally different from atoms, and which has never been detected on Earth because it interacts only extremely weakly with regular matter. In addition, although gravity has been studied for hundreds of years, gravitational forces between microscopic particles that obey the laws of quantum mechanics have never been measured, and theories of gravity may need to be modified in the quantum realm. In this work, the research team will develop new types of force sensors that may allow detection of the tiny forces imparted by dark matter, or from gravity between microscopic particles. Students and postdocs participating in this work will be trained in advanced quantum sensing techniques and will work with the PI to teach a hands-on summer program for local high school students about physics in their everyday lives and connections to state-of-the-art research. This research program will employ arrays of micro- and nano-particles trapped in ultra-high vacuum as sensitive force sensors for searches for physics beyond the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The research team will use these particle arrays to search for dark matter that primarily interacts coherently with nano- or micro-sized particles (rather than single nuclei or electrons), with several orders-of-magnitude improved sensitivity over previous searches for such dark matter models. In addition, the research team will develop techniques to trap solid noble gas particles, such as solid xenon, in a cryogenic optical trap. Solid noble gas particles may provide significant advantages over existing techniques (that primarily employ silica particles) due to their extremely high purity and ability to construct large particle arrays. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.