Operation of Unshielded Kinetic Inductance Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifiers in Multi-Telsa Fields

The most sensitive method for detecting axions, a leading dark matter particle candidate, relies on the measurement of microwave signals from strongly magnetized cryogenic resonant cavities. Parametric amplifiers are used to achieve sensitivities close to or below quantum-limited noise levels. However, current available parametric amplifiers do not operate in magnetic fields, requiring a field-free zone of non-negligable size near the high-field region that is difficult to engineer. The kinetic inductance traveling wave parametric amplifier (KITWPA) may be the ideal candidate for this application. KITWPAs are broadband, near quantum noise limited, and have been proven by our group to be resilient to magnetic fields. We describe amplifier measurements performed above 1 Tesla and discuss the implications for the future of axion detection.