Optical design and optimized readout of a light shining through a wall experiment in particle physics

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Benno Willke
• Subject Area: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields ; Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 280728170

Despite its enormous success, astrophysical observations and theoretical considerations indicate, that extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics are required. In the low energy region (m<<1eV) Light shining through a wall (LSW) experiments perform searches for weakly interacting slim particles. ALPS-I is one of those LSW experiments which, for the first time, used a resonant optical cavity to achieve the currently best sensitivity of LSW experiments. Future LSW experiments, like e.g. ALPS-II, will use a second optical resonator to further improve their sensitivities. This is a proposal to develop and test an optical design that allows the required collinear operation of two LSW cavities. Furthermore we will compare two competing readout methods for future LSW experiments by a theoretical study and experiments to identify their fundamental and technical limitations.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants