Constraints on Scalar Field Dark Matter from Colocated Michelson Interferometers

Abstract

Low-mass (sub-eV) scalar field dark matter may induce apparent oscillations of fundamental constants, resulting in corresponding oscillations of the size and the index of refraction of solids. Laser interferometers are highly sensitive to changes in the size and index of refraction of the main beam splitter. Using cross-correlated data of the Fermilab Holometer instrument, which consists of twin colocated 40-m arm length power-recycled interferometers, we investigate the possible existence of scalar field dark matter candidates in the mass range between 1.6×10-12 eV and 1.0×10-7 eV. We set new upper limits for the coupling parameters of scalar field dark matter, improving on limits from previous direct searches by up to 3 orders of magnitude.