Dielectric Haloscopes: A New Way to Detect Axion Dark Matter

We propose a new strategy to search for dark matter axions in the mass range of 40–400 $\mu$eV by introducing dielectric haloscopes, which consist of dielectric disks placed in a magnetic field. The changing dielectric media cause discontinuities in the axion-induced electric field, leading to the generation of propagating electromagnetic waves to satisfy the continuity requirements at the interfaces. Large-area disks with adjustable distances boost the microwave signal (10–100 GHz) to an observable level and allow one to scan over a broad axion mass range. A sensitivity to QCD axion models is conceivable with 80 disks of 1 m${}^2$ area contained in a $10$ Tesla field.