The axion quark nugget (AQN) model is an emerging candidate for cold dark matter, and proposes that dark matter consists of (anti)quarks in a color superconducting state enclosed by an axion domain wall. We performed the first dedicated AQN experiment using an axion haloscope, based on the scenario that antimatter AQNs could annihilate with Earth matter and release relativistic axions. This experiment employed a high-temperature superconducting microwave cavity that achieved a quality factor exceeding one million in a strong magnetic field, alongside a quantum-noise-limited Josephson parametric amplifier. Combined with an additional experiment using a large-volume copper cavity, our investigation focused on the range of axion rest mass between $1.9\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$ and $9.3\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$, and attempted to detect the daily modulation of the signal predicted by the model. While no definitive signals were detected, this study establishes the initial groundwork for exploring broader parameter spaces in future experiments.

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• Dark matter direct detection