BabyIAXO project secures funding for axion particle search

Funding has been secured for the BabyIAXO experiment at the DESY research center in Hamburg, Germany. The project aims to search for the axion, a theoretical elementary particle that could solve fundamental problems in the Standard Model of physics.

The core of the experiment is a 10-meter-long superconducting dipole magnet that must operate at approximately −270 °C. To maximize detection potential, the magnet is designed to move and follow the sun's path across the sky for 12 hours a day. This setup serves as a precursor to the much larger International Axion Observatory (IAXO), which plans to use a 20-meter magnet to achieve significantly higher sensitivity.

The total funding for the magnet system is €6 million. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is contributing €3 million, while the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is providing €2.4 million. The remaining €600,000 will be contributed by the Universities of Bonn, Siegen, and Dortmund.