Benchtop Particle Astrophysics

Advances in low noise cryogenic amplifiers and the commercialization of microwave technology have not only improved astrophysical measurements, but also enabled exquisitely sensitive laboratory experiments. I will discuss a number of benchtop experiments underway at UW that utilize radio astronomy techniques and technology to make measurements that are important for astroparticle physics. The experiments I cover will include searches for dark matter axions using electronics with noise limited only by quantum mechanical effects, searches for light exotic beyond-the-standard-model particles, and a precision measurement of beta decay energies that could be used to determine the neutrino mass scale.​