Atomic probe of dark matter differential interactions with subatomic particles

Searching for physics beyond the Standard Model is one of the main tasks of experimental physics. Candidates for dark matter include axionlike ultralight bosonic particles. Comagnetometers form ultrahigh sensitivity probes for such particles and any exotic field that interacts with the spin of an atom. Here, we propose a multiatom-species probe that enables one not only to discover such fields and measure their spectrum but also to determine the ratios of their coupling strengths to the subatomic particles—electrons, neutrons, and protons. We further show that the multifaceted capabilities of this probe can be demonstrated with synthetic exotic fields generated by a combination of regular magnetic fields and light-induced fictitious magnetic fields in alkali atoms. These synthetic fields also enable the accurate calibration of any magnetometer or comagnetometer probe for exotic physics.