Axion is a well-motivated hypothetical particle originally proposed to solve the Strong CP problem in quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and sufficiently light axion may also be a dark matter candidate. The Haloscope At Yale Sensitive To Axion CDM (HAYSTAC) experiment is actively searching for axion cold dark matter using a resonant microwave cavity and quantum squeezed state receiver (SSR). With axion mass and coupling strength unknown, a crucial metric is the scanning rate across its parameter space. Advancements in SSR have led to a doubling of this scanning rate. More recently, HAYSTAC has improved its system stability, enabling the SSR to operate reliably across a wide range of axion masses. In this talk, I will discuss HAYSTAC’s latest improvements, current status, and future plans to expand the search range for axion masses.
Host: Yu-Han Tseng