Axions are hypothetical particles which do not belong to the standard model and they are considered as good candidates to explain the dark matter in the Universe. As first proposed by P. Sikivie in 1983, it may be possible to detect them using a microwave cavity under a large magnetic field. Such a device is called a haloscope. We have developed a phase resolved haloscope. Our haloscope is different in concept from all the existing platforms, as it combines a superconducting circuit, an antiferromagnetic crystal in addition to the microwave cavity. It aims to detect the axion signal by measuring a phase shift of the microwave signal. Furthermore, the antiferromagnetic crystal provides a tunability, enabling in principle a large mass scanning range. It is expected to have an unprecedented figure of merit and mass scanning range.
In my talk, I will present both the concept and the first experimental results of our haloscope.
