Searching for scalar dark matter with compact mechanical resonators

Understand

We explore the viability of laboratory-scale mechanical resonators as detectors for ultralight scalar dark matter.

• The signal we investigate is an atomic strain due to modulation of the fine structure constant and the lepton mass at the Compton frequency of dark matter particles.
• The resulting stress can drive an elastic body with acoustic breathing modes, producing displacements that are accessible with opto- or electromechanical readout techniques.
• To address the unknown mass of dark matter particles (which determines their Compton frequency), we consider various resonator designs operating at kHz to MHz frequencies, corresponding to $10^{-12}-10^{-5}$ eV particle mass.