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Searching for ultralight boson interactions with Josephson junction interferometry

Djuna Croon* and Tanmay Kumar Poddar†

  • *Contact author: djuna.l.croon@durham.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: tanmay.k.poddar@durham.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 035023 – Published 17 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/8td7-gb4n

Abstract

Ultralight bosons sourced by macroscopic objects can generate long-range spin-independent and spin-dependent potentials that are accessible to precision interferometry. Such potentials induce phase shifts in Josephson junctions, detectable through precision current measurements. We propose three experimental scenarios to probe photophilic scalar interactions, Lorentz-violating scalar-mediated interactions, and axion-mediated monopole-dipole interactions, depending on the nature (unpolarized or polarized) of the source. The proposed setups provide sensitivities to novel mixed couplings that are largely unconstrained by existing bounds and enables the exploration of new forces at centimeter to micrometer length scales.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 035023– Published 17 August, 2026
  • Received 6 May 2026
  • Accepted 14 July 2026
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