Xiran Bai

Xiran Bai's picture
Quantum Postdoctoral Associate
Fermi National Laboratory
xiran.bai@yale.edu
Research Areas: 
Particle Physics
Research Type: 
Experimentalist
Education: 
Ph.D. 2026, Yale University
Advisor: 
Reina Maruyama
Dissertation Title: 
Quantum Squeezing to Accelerate Axion Dark Matter Searches: From Demonstration to Broad Scan Range
Dissertation Abstract: 

Advances in quantum sensing have opened new pathways for the search for dark matter, which comprises about 85% of the total matter in our universe. The axion stands out as a leading dark matter candidate. However, axion detection is exceptionally challenging: their interactions with ordinary matter are exceedingly weak, and traditional searches are fundamentally limited by the standard quantum limit (SQL). Without going beyond the SQL, a complete scan of the axion parameter space would take tens of thousands of years. The Haloscope At Yale Sensitive To Axion CDM (HAYSTAC) experiment overcomes this barrier using quantum squeezing with dual Josephson parametric amplifiers, surpassing the SQL and achieving a two-fold improvement in scan rate. I will present recent results and discuss efforts that enabled broad range scans that go beyond just small scale demonstrations.