Constructing an Optical Magnetometer for the Detection of Dark Matter

Dark matter composes a large portion of the universe, yet is poorly understood and has eluded detection by conventional sensors. The GNOME (Global Network of Optical Magnetometers for Exotic Physics) project seeks to detect one candidate for dark matter, axions, by taking and comparing measurements from multiple magnetometers around the world in an attempt to detect transient effects as they pass through the earth. As part of the project I have worked on building a rubidium vapor cell optical magnetometer which will take measurements of small magnetic field fluctuations, and once finished, will be integrated into the GNOME network.