Collaborative research: RUI: BSM-PM: exotic physics searches with magnetometer networks

Oberlin College received a $217,333 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Physics under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028. This collaborative research initiative supports two international experimental physics projects—the Global Network of Optical Magnetometers for Exotic Physics Searches (GNOME) and the Search for Non-Interacting Particles Experimental Hunt (SNIPE Hunt)—designed to detect evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model of Physics. The research team will operate highly sensitive magnetometer networks to search for faint magnetic signals potentially caused by dark matter or exotic fields originating from astrophysical events such as black hole mergers. GNOME focuses on identifying short-lived transient signals across a global sensor network, while SNIPE Hunt searches for wave-like signals using the Earth-ionosphere system as a large-scale transducer to detect ultralight bosonic fields such as axions and hidden photons.

The award supports undergraduate student participation across all research phases, including experimental design, construction, data collection, and theoretical modeling. Additionally, the grant funds educational and outreach activities such as collaborative training networks, local school outreach, curriculum development, and participation in national mentoring programs to expand STEM participation and accessibility to advanced research opportunities. This project directly advances fundamental scientific inquiry into the nature of dark matter while building workforce capacity in physics and related scientific disciplines.

Abstract

Understanding the nature of dark matter, the invisible substance making up most of the universe's mass, is one of the greatest challenges in science today. This project supports a team of physicists who will lead two international experiments searching for evidence of new physics beyond the standard model (BSM) of physics. (the standard model encapsulates our best understanding of the universe to date.) these experiments, the global network of optical magnetometers for exotic physics searches (GNOME) and the search for non-interacting particles experimental hunt (snipe hunt), use highly sensitive detectors to detect faint magnetic signals that could be caused by dark matter or other exotic fields originating from astrophysical events like black hole mergers. GNOME looks for short-lived transient signals detected across a global sensor network, while snipe hunt searches for wave-like signals caused by the earth acting as a giant dark-matter antenna. Together, these projects provide a unique and powerful approach to discovering new physics. Undergraduate students supported by the award will contribute to all aspects of the research: from experimental design and construction to data collection and theoretical modeling, while gaining experience that prepares them for a wide range of careers in science and technology. Additionally, activities such as collaborative training networks, outreach to local schools, curriculum development, and participation in national mentoring programs are designed to expand participation in stem by making advanced research opportunities widely accessible. This project advances experimental searches for ultralight bosonic fields, such as axions and hidden photons, that may constitute dark matter or arise in other BSM scenarios. The snipe hunt uses the earth-ionosphere system as a planet-scale transducer to convert dark matter fields into oscillating magnetic signals that can be measured by widely separated induction-coil magnetometers in electromagnetically quiet environments. Building on prior results that set leading constraints in the sub-HZ range, the next-generation snipe hunt will implement novel gradiometric techniques to measure the magnetic field curl and expand the detectable mass range by two orders of magnitude. GNOME, by contrast, is sensitive to transient events caused by compact dark matter objects or bursts of exotic fields. The experiment employs GPS-synchronized, magnetically-shielded alkali magnetometers and alkali/noble-gas comagnetometers with sub-femtotesla sensitivity distributed across the globe. The advanced GNOME science run will use upgraded comagnetometers capable of detecting both proton and neutron spin couplings, significantly improving sensitivity to spin-dependent interactions of BSM fields. Targeted signal classes include topological defect dark matter, Q-balls, axion STARS, solar axion halos, gravitationally focused dark matter streams, and exotic bursts associated with astrophysical phenomena. The collaborative analysis framework integrates machine learning, GPU-based inference pipelines, and data from ligo and other observatories to pursue multi-messenger detection strategies. The project will also develop infrastructure for long-term stable operation of comagnetometers and establish new constraints on BSM parameter space. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.