Attuned to the Axion: the DM Radio program and the m³ mission

The QCD axion, a potential linchpin of modern particle astrophysics, resolves both the dark matter problem and the strong CP problem. This curious particle is expected to demonstrate macroscopic deBroglie wavelengths, earning the fitting title of ‘wave-like dark matter’ whilst simultaneously driving the need for unique detection techniques. The DMRadio program consists of a suite of experiments in pursuit of the QCD axion. I discuss three staged experiments of ever-increasing sensitivity, beginning with DMRadio-50L and ending with DMRadio-GUT. The central focus of the talk will be the forthcoming DMRadio-m3, the second experiment in the series. The DMRadio-m³ experiment will be the first in this campaign to target sensitivity to the DFSZ axion, the benchmark QCD candidate. DMRadio-m³ is under development as part of the Dark Matter New Initiatives program. The experiment, which will be located at SLAC, is expected to cover the mass range 0.12-0.8 ueV. I will provide a design overview of this lumped-element detector and discuss the anticipated future of the DMRadio program.