This paper reports on a cavity haloscope search for dark matter axions in the galactic halo in the mass range 2.81-3.31 µeV . This search excludes the full range of axion-photon coupling values predicted in benchmark models of the invisible axion that solve the strong CP problem of quantum chromodynamics, and marks the first time a haloscope search has been able to search for axions at mode crossings using an alternate cavity configuration. Unprecedented sensitivity in this higher mass range is achieved by deploying an ultra low-noise Josephson parametric amplifier as the first-stage signal amplifier.Axions are a hypothesized particle that emerged as a result of the Peccei-Quinn solution to the strong CP problem [1][2][3]. In addition, axions are a leading darkmatter candidate that could explain 100% of the darkmatter in the Universe [4][5][6][7][8]. There are a number of mechanisms for the production of dark-matter axions in the early Universe [5,6,9,10]. For the case where U PQ (1) becomes spontaneously broken after inflation, cosmological constraints suggest an axion mass on the scale of 1 µeV or greater [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Two benchmark models for the axion are the Kim-Shifman-Vainshtein-Zakharov (KSVZ) [17,18] and Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnitsky (DFSZ) [19,20] models. Of the two, the DFSZ model is especially compelling because of its grand unification properties [19].The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) searches for dark-matter axions using an axion haloscope [21], which consists of a microwave resonant cavity inside a magnetic field. In the presence of an external magnetic field, axions inside the cavity can convert to photons with frequency f = E/h, where E is the total energy of the axion, including the axion rest mass energy, plus a small kinetic energy contribution. The power expected from the conversion of an axion into microwave photons in the ADMX experiment is extremely low, O(10 −23 W ), requiring the use of a dilution refrigerator and an ultra low-noise microwave receiver to detect the photons.In limits set in a previous paper, ADMX became the only axion haloscope to achieve sensitivity to both benchmark axion models for axion masses between 2.66 and 2.81 µeV [22]. This paper reports on recent operations which extend the search for axions at DFSZ sensitivity to 2.66-3.31 µeV .The ADMX experiment consists of a 136-liter cylindrical copper-plated cavity placed in a 7.6-T field produced by a superconducting solenoid magnet. The magnet and cavity configuration are similar to the configuration described in Ref. [23,24]. A magnetic field-free region above the cavity is maintained by a counter-wound bucking magnet above the cavity. Field sensitive receiver components, such as a Josephson parametric amplifier (JPA) and circulators, are located there, and the JPA is protected by additional passive magnetic shielding.The resonant frequency of the cavity is set by two copper tuning rods that run parallel to the axis of the cavity and can be positioned between near the center of the cavity and the...

Following an introduction to the history of the invention of the quantum cascade (QC) laser and of the band-structure engineering advances that have led to laser action over most of the mid-infrared (IR) and part of the far-IR spectrum, the paper provides a comprehensive review of recent developments that will likely enable important advances in areas such as optical communications, ultrahigh resolution spectroscopy and applications to ultrahigh sensitivity gas-sensing systems. We discuss the experimental observation of the remarkably different frequency response of QC lasers compared to diode lasers, i.e., the absence of relaxation oscillations, their high-speed digital modulation, and results on mid-IR optical wireless communication links, which demonstrate the possibility of reliably transmitting complex multimedia data streams. Ultrashort pulse generation by gain switching and active and passive modelocking is subsequently discussed. Recent data on the linewidth of free-running QC lasers ( 150 kHz) and their frequency stabilization down to 10 kHz are presented. Experiments on the relative frequency stability ( 5 Hz) of two QC lasers locked to optical cavities are discussed. Finally, developments in metallic waveguides with surface plasmon modes, which have enabled extension of the operating wavelength to the far IR are reported. I N THIS paper, we concentrate on reviewing recent developments in quantum cascade (QC) laser research in the areas of high-speed modulation, optical wireless, ultrashort pulse and Manuscript A. Michael Sergent has been with Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, since July 1960. He has been in the semiconductor research area since the latter part of 1967, working on the luminescence properties of CdS and ZnSe materials systems and performing C-V, C-T, and deep-level transient spectroscopy measurements on GaAs. Since the early 1990s, he has been involved in semiconductor laser research, working on the electroabsorption modulated laser and most recently with the quantum-cascade laser. Most of his work in this endeavor revolves around the cleaving, mounting, and packaging of the devices.

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For optical modeling and other purposes, we have created a library of 57 liquids for which we have measured the complex optical constants n and k. These liquids vary in their nature, ranging in properties that include chemical structure, optical band strength, volatility, and viscosity. By obtaining the optical constants, one can model most optical phenomena in media and at interfaces including reflection, refraction, and dispersion. Based on the works of others, we have developed improved protocols using multiple path lengths to determine the optical constants n/k for dozens of liquids, including inorganic, organic, and organophosphorus compounds. Detailed descriptions of the measurement and data reduction protocols are discussed; agreement of the derived optical constant n and k values with literature values are presented. We also present results using the n/k values as applied to an optical modeling scenario whereby the derived data are presented and tested for models of 1 µm and 100 µm layers for dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) on both metal (aluminum) and dielectric (soda lime glass) substrates to show substantial differences between the reflected signal from highly reflective substrates and less-reflective substrates.

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