Searches for New Particles Including Dark Matter with Atomic, Molecular and Optical Systems

Abstract

The “standard model” of physics has been successful in explaining most physical processes and phenomena that we see around us. However, despite the great success of the standard model, there remain a number of unresolved puzzles within the model, as well as questions about the self-consistency of the framework. Additionally, various independent astrophysical and cosmological observations contradicting the predictions of the standard model have been accumulating over the course of the past century. Many of these puzzles and unexpected observations can be elegantly explained by postulating the existence of at least one new particle or field outside of the present standard model. New particles can manifest their effects in many settings, ranging from effects on subatomic to galactic length scales. The nature of these effects depends on the specific particles and their nongravitational interactions. In this chapter, we give a brief overview of how atomic, molecular, and optical systems can be used to search for new particles. To illustrate the basic principles behind these methods, we focus on the simplest class of particles, namely new spinless bosons.