Microwave technologies in axion dark matter search
The universe cannot yet be fully explained by the theories developed so far. In particular, galaxies move faster than expected and behave as if they contained far more mass than what is actually visible. Physicists therefore estimate that ordinary matter — the matter we can directly observe and interact with — accounts for only about 5% of the universe, while the remaining 95% consists of dark energy (68%) and dark matter (27%).
Among the strongest candidates for dark matter is the axion, a hypothetical particle expected to interact with the electromagnetic field in the presence of a static magnetic field through the so-called inverse Primakoff effect. The observable signal frequency depends linearly on the axion mass; however, since the axion mass cannot currently be predicted theoretically, experiments must search across a broad frequency spectrum, including the microwave range [1,2].
Within this framework, the MADMAX collaboration [3] is developing a dielectric haloscope, a detection instrument designed to achieve improved sensitivity compared with conventional cavity-based experiments [1]. The MAgnetized Disc and Mirror Axion eXperiment (MADMAX) employs a wide range of advanced microwave technologies, partly inherited from radio astronomy, partly shared with quantum computing applications, and partly developed specifically for axion detection.
A non-exhaustive list of these technologies includes: cryogenic low-noise amplifiers, parametric amplifiers, cryogenic calibration techniques, filters, waveguide components such as orthomode transducers and overmoded tapers, feed horns, ellipsoidal rather than parabolic reflectors, and resonators based on large dielectric discs (diameter of at least 20 cm).
The seminar focuses on these technologies, illustrating how they are integrated to achieve the extremely high sensitivity required for axion dark matter searches, while also highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of the effort and the different fields contributing toward this common goal.
[1] J. R. Navarro-Madrid, J. M. García-Barceló, and A. Díaz-Morcillo, “Microwave technologies in experiments for detection of dark matter axions,” IEEE Microw Mag, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 78–87, 2025, doi: 10.1109/MMM.2024.3514013.
[2] P. Brun et al., “A new experimental approach to probe QCD axion dark matter in the mass range above 40 μeV,” The European Physical Journal C, vol. 79, no. 3, p. 186, 2019, doi: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-019-6683-x.
[3] MADMAX Collaboration et al., “First search for axion dark matter with a MADMAX prototype,” Phys Rev Lett, vol. 135, no. 4, p. 41001, Jul. 2025, doi: 10.1103/c749-419q.
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- Via di Santa Marta 3
- Firenze, Toscana
- Italy 50139
- Building: Aula Caminetto
- Starts 22 May 2026 10:00 PM UTC
- Ends 15 June 2026 08:30 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Giacomo Giannetti of Max Planck Institute for Physics, Munich
Biography:
GIACOMO GIANNETTI received the B.Sc. degree (cum laude) in electronic and telecommunications engineering from the University of Florence, Florence, Italy, in 2019, the M.Sc. degree (cum laude) in electronic engineering from the Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy, in 2021, with the award as an excellent graduate, and the Ph.D. degree (cum laude) in electromagnetism at the University of Florence, Florence, Italy, in 2025. From November 2025, he is with the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich, Germany, working on the MAgnetized Disc and Mirror Axion eXperiment (MADMAX). He was a Student with the Technical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, and the National Laboratory of Frascati, Frascati, Italy, a Research Guest with Kiel University, Kiel, Germany, and an Intern at the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom. His research interests include microwave devices and computational electromagnetics.