Muon g-2 and EDM experiments as muonic dark matter detectors

Understand

The detection of ultralight dark matter through interactions with nucleons, electrons, and photons has been explored in depth.

• In this work we propose to use precision muon experiments, specifically muon g-2 and electric dipole moment measurements, to detect ultralight dark matter that couples predominantly to muons.
• We set direct, terrestrial limits on DM-muon interactions using existing g-2 data, and show that a time-resolved reanalysis of ongoing and upcoming precession experiments will be sensitive to dark matter signals.
• Intriguingly, we also find that the current muon g-2 anomaly can be explained by a spin torque applied to muons from a pseudoscalar dark matter background that induces an oscillating electric dipole moment for the muon.