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Super-Heisenberg protocol for dark matter and high-frequency gravitational wave search

Wakutaka Nakano1 and Ryoto Takai2,3,4

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 035020 – Published 12 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/582l-4x1y

Abstract

We propose a quantum-enhanced sensing scheme for the detection of wavelike dark matter and high-frequency gravitational waves using two-dimensional ion crystals in a Penning trap. The protocol employs spin-motion squeezed states to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and enable a super-Heisenberg scaling with respect to the number of ions over a broad parameter range. We analyze the sensitivity of the protocol to representative wavelike dark matter candidates, including the axionlike particle and the dark photon, as well as to high-frequency gravitational waves, taking into account the decoherence and dephasing of the ion spins. Our results indicate that two-dimensional ion crystals and this new protocol provide a promising platform for probing previously unexplored parameter space in searches for light dark matter and high-frequency gravitational waves.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 035020– Published 12 August, 2026
  • Received 30 April 2026
  • Accepted 22 July 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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