First Search for Ultralight Dark Matter Using a Magnetically Levitated Particle

We perform the first search for ultralight dark matter using a magnetically levitated particle. A submillimeter permanent magnet is levitated in a superconducting trap with a measured force sensitivity of 0.2 fN/sqrt[Hz]. We find no evidence of a signal and derive limits on dark matter coupled to the difference between baryon and lepton number, B-L, in the mass range (1.10360-1.10485)×10^{-13} eV/c^{2}. Our most stringent limit on the coupling strength is g_{B-L}≲2.98×10^{-21}. We propose the POLONAISE (Probing Oscillations using Levitated Objects for Novel Accelerometry In Searches of Exotic physics) experiment, which features short-, medium-, and long-term upgrades that will give us leading sensitivity in a wide mass range, demonstrating the promise of this novel quantum sensing technology in the hunt for dark matter.