Testing axion physics in a Josephson junction environment

Abstract

We suggest that experiments based on Josephson junctions, SQUIDS, and coupled Josephson qubits can be used to construct a resonant environment for dark matter axions. We propose experimental setups in which axionic interaction strengths in a Josephson junction environment can be tested, similar in nature to recent experiments that test for quantum entanglement of two coupled Josephson qubits. We point out that the parameter values relevant for early-universe axion cosmology are accessible with present day's achievements in nanotechnology. We work out how typical dark matter and dark energy signals would look like in a novel detector that exploits this effect.

Comments: 6 pages. Some typos corrected. Replaced by final version to appear in Mod Phys. Lett. A. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1008.2085