Multi-tesla operation of high-temperature superconducting cavities for accelerated axion dark matter searches
Abstract
Axion haloscopes use radio-frequency cavities immersed in a magnetic field to search for dark-matter axions, which could resolve two central puzzles in fundamental physics: the strong charge-parity problem in quantum chromodynamics and the nature of dark matter. Multi-tesla fields trigger axion-to-photon conversion but induce severe vortex dissipation in standard superconductors, whereas copper cavities are limited by the anomalous skin effect (Q ≲ 105). Here, we overcome these barriers by introducing a pole-to-pole 3-dimensional cavity architecture constructed from strain-controlled, mechanically delaminated rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) tapes. By selectively stripping the lossy metallic substrate while utilizing the copper stabilizer as a "conductive backing" we convert the longitudinal assembly gaps into waveguides below cutoff, effectively suppressing cross-seam RF leakage. Employing a two-track strategy, we first unveiled the intrinsic high-field potential of the material with a 5.4 GHz resonant cavity, achieving an unloaded quality-factor (Q0) of 1.4 × 107 in an 8 T magnetic field, exceeding conventional copper baselines by two orders of magnitude. Second, prioritizing practical haloscope integration, we engineered a tunable, volume-maximized 2.3 GHz pathfinder cavity. Deployed in the Pilot Axion Cavity Experiment at the Center for Axion and Precision Physics Research (CAPP-PACE), this system achieved a 180 mK noise temperature and a 5-fold Q enhancement over copper, cumulatively delivering a ∼8.4-fold scan-rate acceleration.
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BibTeX
@misc{ahn2026multitesla,
title = {{Multi-tesla operation of high-temperature superconducting cavities for accelerated axion dark matter searches}},
author = {Danho Ahn and Jinsu Kim and Seongtae Park and Jiwon Lee and Ohjoon Kwon and Woohyun Chung and HeeSu Byun and Sergey Uchaikin and Arajan Ferdinand van Loo and Yasunobu Nakamura and Dojun Youm and SungWoo Youn and Yannis K. Semertzidis},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.03879},
eprint = {2609.03879},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.03879},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Multi-tesla operation of high-temperature superconducting cavities for accelerated axion dark matter searches
AU - Danho Ahn
AU - Jinsu Kim
AU - Seongtae Park
AU - Jiwon Lee
AU - Ohjoon Kwon
AU - Woohyun Chung
AU - HeeSu Byun
AU - Sergey Uchaikin
AU - Arajan Ferdinand van Loo
AU - Yasunobu Nakamura
AU - Dojun Youm
AU - SungWoo Youn
AU - Yannis K. Semertzidis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.03879
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.03879
AB - Axion haloscopes use radio-frequency cavities immersed in a magnetic field to search for dark-matter axions, which could resolve two central puzzles in fundamental physics: the strong charge-parity problem in quantum chromodynamics and the nature of dark matter. Multi-tesla fields trigger axion-to-photon conversion but induce severe vortex dissipation in standard superconductors, whereas copper cavities are limited by the anomalous skin effect (Q ≲ 10^5). Here, we overcome these barriers by introducing a pole-to-pole 3-dimensional cavity architecture constructed from strain-controlled, mechanically delaminated rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) tapes. By selectively stripping the lossy metallic substrate while utilizing the copper stabilizer as a "conductive backing" we convert the longitudinal assembly gaps into waveguides below cutoff, effectively suppressing cross-seam RF leakage. Employing a two-track strategy, we first unveiled the intrinsic high-field potential of the material with a 5.4 GHz resonant cavity, achieving an unloaded quality-factor (Q_0) of 1.4 × 10^7 in an 8 T magnetic field, exceeding conventional copper baselines by two orders of magnitude. Second, prioritizing practical haloscope integration, we engineered a tunable, volume-maximized 2.3 GHz pathfinder cavity. Deployed in the Pilot Axion Cavity Experiment at the Center for Axion and Precision Physics Research (CAPP-PACE), this system achieved a 180 mK noise temperature and a 5-fold Q enhancement over copper, cumulatively delivering a ∼8.4-fold scan-rate acceleration.
ER -