Collaborative Research: Axion Resonant InterAction DetectioN Experiment (ARIADNE) - a continuation proposal

Axions are CP-odd scalar particles appearing in many extensions of the Standard Model. The well motivated Peccei-Quinn (PQ) axion can explain the smallness of the neutron electric dipole moment, and is also a promising Dark Matter candidate. Axions and axion-like particles also generate macroscopic P-odd and T-odd spin-dependent interactions which can be sought in sensitive laboratory experiments. The Axion Resonant InterAction DetectioN Experiment (ARIADNE) is designed to search for axion-mediated spin-dependent interactions between nuclei at sub-millimeter ranges. The experiment involves a rotating non-magnetic mass to source the axion �eld, and a dense ensemble of laser-polarized 3He nuclei to detect the axion held by NMR. The signal from an axion held can be resonantly enhanced by properly modulating the axion potential at the nuclear spin precession frequency. The goal of this proposal is to complete construction of the experiment, bring it through its commissioning phase during which we plan to evaluate possible systematics, and start the early data taking stage, exploring new paramater space for the PQ axion