학술논문
A Symmetric Multi-rod Tunable Microwave Cavity for the HAYSTAC Dark Matter Axion Search
Document Type
Working Paper
Source
Subject
Language
Abstract
The microwave cavity experiment is the most sensitive way of looking for axions in the 0.1-10 GHz range, corresponding to masses of 0.5 - 40 $\mu$eV. The particular challenge for frequencies greater than 5 GHz is designing a cavity with a large volume that contains a resonant mode that has a high form factor, a high quality factor, a wide dynamic range, and is free from intruder modes. For HAYSTAC, we have designed and constructed an optimized high frequency cavity with a tuning mechanism that preserves a high degree of rotational symmetry, critical to maximizing its figure of merit. This cavity covers an important frequency range according to recent theoretical estimates for the axion mass, 5.5 - 7.4 GHz, and the design appears extendable to higher frequencies as well. This paper will discuss key design and construction details of the cavity, present a summary of the design evolution, and alert practitioners of potentially unfruitful avenues for future work.
Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures
Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures