Axion Dark Matter Search with Interferometric Gravitational Wave Detectors

Axion dark matter differentiates the phase velocities of the circular-polarized photons. In [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 111301 (2019)], we have proposed a scheme to measure the phase difference by using a linear optical cavity. If the scheme is applied to the Fabry-Perot arm of Advanced LIGO-like (Cosmic-Explorer-like) gravitational wave detector, the potential sensitivity to the axion-photon coupling constant, g(a gamma), reaches g(a gamma) similar or equal to 8 x 10(-13) GeV-1 (4 x 10(-14) GeV-1) at the axion mass m similar or equal to 3 x 10(-13) eV (2 x 10(-15) eV) and remains at around this sensitivity for 3 orders of magnitude in mass. Furthermore, its sensitivity has a sharp peak reaching g(a gamma) similar or equal to 10(-14) GeV-1 (8 x 10(-17) GeV-1) at m = 1.563 x 10(-10) eV (1.563 x 10(-11) eV). This sensitivity can be achieved without loosing any sensitivity to gravitational waves.