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Light dark matter detection with sub-eV transition-edge sensors

Muping Chen1,*, Volodymyr Takhistov1,2,3,4,†, Kazunori Nakayama5,1,‡, and Kaori Hattori1,§

  • *Contact author: mpchen@post.kek.jp
  • †Contact author: vtakhist@post.kek.jp
  • ‡Contact author: kazunori.nakayama.d3@tohoku.ac.jp
  • §Contact author: hattorik@post.kek.jp
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 036006 – Published 5 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/74pr-jb4t

Abstract

We present a comprehensive analysis of high-resolution transition-edge sensors (TESs) as a quantum sensing platform for detecting dark matter (DM). Operating near the thermodynamic noise limit with sub-eV energy resolution, TESs offer a powerful approach for probing light DM in the sub-GeV mass range. Optical TESs, realized on superconducting films with critical temperatures below 150 mK, achieve energy thresholds below 100 meV and enable precise calorimetric detection of individual energy depositions. We model TES response by incorporating fundamental noise sources and applying optimal filtering techniques, and we evaluate their sensitivity across a range of DM interaction channels, accounting for material responses in the target material. We show that even nanogram-month-scale exposures can reach previously unexplored DM-electron scattering cross sections below 10−27  cm2 for sub-MeV masses and can probe the MeV-scale mass range for DM-nucleon couplings. Combining high-energy resolution, photon-number sensitivity, and scalability, optical TESs provide a compelling quantum sensing platform for rare-event searches at the intersection of particle physics and quantum metrology.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 036006– Published 5 February, 2026
  • Received 30 June 2025
  • Accepted 15 December 2025
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