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This Letter reports new results from the HAYSTAC experiment’s search for dark matter axions in our galactic halo. It represents the widest search to date that utilizes squeezing to realize subquantum limited noise. The new results cover $1.71\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$of newly scanned parameter space in the mass ranges $17.28–18.44\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$and $18.71–19.46\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$. No statistically significant evidence of an axion signal was observed, excluding couplings $\left|g_{\gamma }\right|\ge 2.75\times \left|g_{\gamma }^{\mathrm{KSVZ}}\right|$and $\left|g_{\gamma }\right|\ge 2.96\times \left|g_{\gamma }^{\mathrm{KSVZ}}\right|$at the 90% confidence level over the respective region. By combining this data with previously published results using HAYSTAC’s squeezed state receiver, a total of $2.27\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$of parameter space has now been scanned between $16.96–19.46\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{eV}$ $\mu \mathrm{eV}$, excluding $\left|g_{\gamma }\right|\ge 2.86\times \left|g_{\gamma }^{\mathrm{KSVZ}}\right|$at the 90% confidence level. These results demonstrate the squeezed state receiver’s ability to probe axion models over a significant mass range while achieving a scan rate enhancement relative to a quantum-limited experiment. Published by the American Physical Society2025 

The amount of light produced by nuclear recoils in scintillating targets is strongly quenched compared to that produced by electrons. A precise understanding of the quenching factor is particularly interesting for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) searches and coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering ( $\mathrm{CE}\nu \mathrm{NS}$) measurements since both rely on nuclear recoils, whereas energy calibrations are more readily accessible from electron recoils. There is a wide variation among the current measurements of the quenching factor in sodium iodide (NaI) crystals, especially below 10 keV, the energy region of interest for dark matter and $\mathrm{CE}\nu \mathrm{NS}$ studies. A better understanding of the quenching factor in NaI(Tl) is of particular interest for resolving the decades-old puzzle in the field of dark matter between the null results of most WIMP searches and the claim for dark matter detection by the DAMA/LIBRA collaboration. In this work, we measured sodium and iodine quenching factors for five small NaI(Tl) crystals grown with similar thallium concentrations and growth procedures. Unlike previous experiments, multiple crystals were tested, with measurements made in the same experimental setup to control systematic effects. The quenching factors agree in all crystals we investigated, and both sodium and iodine quenching factors are smaller than those reported by DAMA/LIBRA. The dominant systematic effect was due to the electron equivalent energy calibration originating from the nonproportional behavior of the NaI(Tl) light yield at lower energies, potentially the cause for the discrepancies among the previous measurements. Published by the American Physical Society2024 

Abstract CUPID, the CUORE Upgrade with Particle Identification, is a next-generation experiment to search for neutrinoless double beta decay ($$0\mathrm {\nu \beta \beta }$$ $0\nu \beta \beta$) and other rare events using enriched Li$$_{2}$$ $_2^{}$$$^{100}$$ $_{}^{100}$MoO$$_{4}$$ $_4^{}$scintillating bolometers. It will be hosted by the CUORE cryostat located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The main physics goal of CUPID is to search for$$0\mathrm {\nu \beta \beta }$$ $0\nu \beta \beta$of$$^{100}$$ $_{}^{100}$Mo with a discovery sensitivity covering the full neutrino mass regime in the inverted ordering scenario, as well as the portion of the normal ordering regime with lightest neutrino mass larger than 10 meV. With a conservative background index of 10$$^{-4}$$ $_{}^{-4}$ cts$$/($$ $/($keV$$\cdot $$ $·$kg$$\cdot $$ $·$yr$$)$$ $)$, 240 kg isotope mass, 5 keV FWHM energy resolution at 3 MeV and 10 live-years of data taking, CUPID will have a 90% C.L. half-life exclusion sensitivity of$$1.8\cdot 10^{27}$$ $1.8·{10}^{27}$ yr, corresponding to an effective Majorana neutrino mass ($$m_{\beta \beta }$$ $m_{\beta \beta }$) sensitivity of 9–15 meV, and a$$3\sigma $$ $3\sigma$discovery sensitivity of$$1\cdot 10^{27}$$ $1·{10}^{27}$ yr, corresponding to an$$m_{\beta \beta }$$ $m_{\beta \beta }$range of 12–21 meV. 

Abstract Testing the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation result independently of dark matter particle and halo models has been a challenge for twenty years. Using the same target material, NaI(Tl), is required and presently two experiments, ANAIS-112 and COSINE-100, are running for such a goal. A precise knowledge of the detector response to nuclear recoils is mandatory because this is the most likely channel to find the dark matter signal. The light produced by nuclear recoils is quenched with respect to that produced by electrons by a factor that has to be measured experimentally. However, current quenching factor measurements in NaI(Tl) crystals disagree within the energy region of interest for dark matter searches. To disentangle whether this discrepancy is due to intrinsic differences in the light response among different NaI(Tl) crystals, or has its origin in unaccounted for systematic effects will be key in the comparison among the different experiments. We present measurements of the quenching factors for five small NaI(Tl) crystals performed in the same experimental setup to control systematics. Quenching factor results are compatible between crystals and no clear dependence with energy is observed from 10 to 80 keVnr. 

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is a detector array comprised by 988 $5\mathrm{cm}\times 5\mathrm{cm}\times 5\mathrm{cm}$ ${\mathrm{TeO}}_2$crystals held below 20 mK, primarily searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay in ${}^{130}\mathrm{Te}$. Unprecedented in size among cryogenic calorimetric experiments, CUORE provides a promising setting for the study of exotic throughgoing particles. Using the first tonne year of CUORE’s exposure, we perform a search for hypothesized (FCPs), which are well-motivated by various standard model extensions and would have suppressed interactions with matter. Across the searched range of charges $e/24-e/2$no excess of FCP candidate tracks is observed over background, setting leading limits on the underground FCP flux with charges $e/24-e/5$at 90% confidence level. Using the low background environment and segmented geometry of CUORE, we establish the sensitivity of tonne-scale subkelvin detectors to diverse signatures of new physics. Published by the American Physical Society2024