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Search for Postinflationary QCD Axions with a Quantum-Limited Tunable Microwave Receiver

G. Sardo Infirri1,2,*, D. Alesini3, C. Braggio1,2, G. Cappelli4, G. Carugno1,2, D. D’Agostino5, A. D’Elia3, D. Di Gioacchino3, R. Di Vora6 et al. (QUAX Collaboration)

R. Di Vora6, M. Esposito4,†, P. Falferi7,8, U. Gambardella5, A. Gardikiotis1, C. Gatti3, C. Ligi3, G. Lilli6, A. Lombardi6, G. Maccarrone3, D. Maiello1,2, A. Ortolan6, A. Ranadive4,‡, A. Rettaroli3, N. Roch4, S. Tocci3, and G. Ruoso6,§ (QUAX Collaboration)

  • *Contact author: Giosue.Sardo@pd.infn.it
  • †Present address: CNR-SPIN Complesso di Monte S. Angelo, via Cintia, Napoli, 80126, Italy.
  • ‡Present address: Google Quantum AI, Goleta California 93117, USA.
  • §Contact author: Giuseppe.Ruoso@lnl.infn.it
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 211002 – Published 19 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4dv9-72t5

Abstract

A search for cosmological axions has been performed by scanning a frequency region of 38 MHz centered at about 10.2 GHz, corresponding to an axion mass ma≃42  μeV. The QUAX experimental apparatus, a haloscope comprised of a 1-liter volume tunable cavity immersed in an 8 T magnetic field and a quantum-limited detection chain, set limits on the axion-photon coupling at the 10−14  GeV−1 level. As no signal candidate has been observed, viable hadronic axion models are ruled out in a currently preferred postinflationary region ma>40  μeV.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 211002– Published 19 November, 2025
  • Received 16 June 2025
  • Accepted 8 October 2025
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