We give a detailed study of axion-photon and photon-axion conversion amplitudes, which enter the analysis of ``light shining through a wall'' experiments. Several different calculational methods are employed and compared, and in all cases we retain a nonzero axion mass. To leading order, we find that when the photon frequency $ω$ is very close to the axion mass $m$, there is a threshold cusp which significantly enhances the photon to axion conversion amplitude, by a factor $ω/\sqrt{ω^2-m^2}$ relative to the corresponding axion to photon conversion process. When $m=0$, the enhancement factor reduces to unity and the results of previous calculations are recovered. Our calculations include an exact wave matching analysis, which shows how unitarity is maintained near threshold at $ω=m$, and a discussion of the case when the magnetic field extends into the ``wall'' region.
The collision of two real photons can result in the emission of axions. We investigate the performance of a modified light-shining-through-wall (LSW) axion search aiming to overcome the large signal suppression for axion masses $m_a\geq 1 \text{eV}$. We propose to utilise a third beam to stimulate the reconversion of axions into a measurable signal. We thereby find that with currently available high-power laser facilities we expect bounds at axion masses between $0.5-6\text{eV}$ reaching $g_{aγγ}\geq 10^{-7}\text{GeV}^{-1}$. Combining the use of optical lasers with currently operating x-ray fr…
One of the prime tools to search for new light bosons interacting very weakly with photons -- prominent examples are axions, axion-like particles and extra ``hidden'' U(1) gauge bosons -- are light-shining-through-a-wall (LSW) experiments. With the current generation of these experiments finishing data taking it is time to plan for the next and search for an optimal setup. The main challenges are clear: on the one hand we want to improve the sensitivity towards smaller couplings, on the other hand we also want to increase the mass range to which the experiments are sensitive. Our main example …
Planning for the next generation of light-shining-through-wall experiments has started. It is therefore timely to investigate possible ways to optimize their setups. The goals are to improve the sensitivity towards smaller couplings and increase the mass range to which the experiments are sensitive. We discuss possible magnet arrangements and the effects of the unavoidable gaps in the magnetic field profile. Furthermore, we discuss requirements on the diameter of the laser beam and aperture of the magnets in order to achieve high-quality cavities.
While most searches for cosmic axions so far focused on their cold relics as (a component of) dark matter, various well-motivated cosmological sources can produce "boosted" axions that remain relativistic today. We demonstrate that existing/upcoming neutrino experiments such as Super-Kamiokande, Hyper-Kamiokande, DUNE, JUNO, and IceCube can probe such energetic axion relics. The characteristic signature is the mono-energetic single photon signal from axion absorption induced by the axion-photon coupling. This proposal offers to cover parameter ranges that are complementary to existing axion se…
Shining light through walls? At first glance this sounds crazy. However, very feeble gravitational and electroweak effects allow for this exotic possibility. Unfortunately, with present and near future technologies the opportunity to observe light shining through walls via these effects is completely out of question. Nevertheless there are quite a number of experimental collaborations around the globe involved in this quest. Why are they doing it? Are there additional ways of sending photons through opaque matter? Indeed, various extensions of the standard model of particle physics predict the…
Photons may convert into axion like particles and back in the magnetic field of various astrophysical objects, including active galaxies, clusters of galaxies, intergalactic space and the Milky Way. This is a potential explanation for the candidate neutral ultra-high-energy (E>10^18 eV) particles from distant BL Lac type objects which have been observed by the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment. Axions of the same mass and coupling may explain also TeV photons detected from distant blazars.
Many theories of dark energy and modified gravity give rise to scalar fields that couple derivatively to the energy momentum tensor of matter. This is known as disformal coupling. I will show that laboratory searches for axions are ideally suited to search for and constrain disformal scalar fields.
We consider a cosmological scenario in which the very early Universe experienced a transient epoch of matter domination due to the formation of a large population of primordial black holes (PBHs) with masses $M \lesssim 10^{9}\,\textrm{g}$, that evaporate before Big Bang nucleosynthesis. In this context, Hawking radiation would be a non-thermal mechanism to produce a cosmic background of axion-like particles (ALPs). We assume the minimal scenario in which these ALPs couple only with photons. In the case of ultralight ALPs ($m_a \lesssim 10^{-9}\,\textrm{eV}$) the cosmic magnetic fields might t…
A kinetically-mixed hidden photon is sourced as an evanescent mode by electromagnetic fields that oscillate at a frequency smaller than the hidden photon mass. These evanescent modes fall off exponentially with distance, but nevertheless yield detectable signals in a photon regeneration experiment if the electromagnetic barrier is made sufficiently thin. We consider such an experiment using superconducting cavities at GHz frequencies, proposing various cavity and mode arrangements that enable unique sensitivity to hidden photon masses ranging from $10^{-5}$ eV to $ 10^{-1}$ eV.
We show that magnetic fields have the potential to significantly enhance a recently proposed light-shining-through-walls scenario in quantum-field theories with photons coupling to minicharged particles. Suggesting a dedicated laboratory experiment, we demonstrate that this particular tunneling scenario could provide access to a parameter regime competitive with the currently best direct laboratory limits on minicharged fermions below the $\mathrm{meV}$ regime. With present day technology, such an experiment has the potential to even overcome the best model-independent cosmological bounds on m…
It has been proposed that microwave cavities can be used in a photon regeneration experiment to search for hidden sector photons. Using two isolated cavities, the presence of hidden sector photons could be inferred from a 'light shining through a wall' phenomenon. The sensitivity of the experiment has strong a dependence on the geometric construction and electromagnetic mode properties of the two cavities. In this paper we perform an in depth investigation to determine the optimal setup for such an experiment. We also describe the results of our first microwave cavity experiment to search for …
We propose the use of FASER as a light-shining-through-walls experiment to search for axions and axion-like particles (ALPs). LHC collisions generate a high intensity and high energy photon flux in the forward direction which can oscillate into ALPs in the magnetic fields that are used to confine the beam. These ALPs then pass through about 100~m of rock before reaching the magnetic fields of FASER, where they can convert back into photons and be detected by an electromagnetic calorimeter. In the next years, FASER and its successor FASER2 at the Forward Physics Facility will be able to explore…
It is shown that the Sun can become partially transparent to high energy photons in the presence of a pseudo-scalar. In particular, if the axion interpretation of the PVLAS result were true then up to 2% of GeV energy gamma rays might pass through the Sun, while an even stronger effect is expected for some axion parameters. We discuss the possibilities of observing this effect. Present data are limited to the observation of the solar occultation of 3C 279 by EGRET in 1991; 98% C.L. detection of a non-zero flux of gamma rays passing through the Sun is not yet conclusive. Since the same occultat…
Axions and axion-like particles generically couple to QED via the axion-photon-photon interaction. This leads to a modification of Maxwell's equations known in the literature as axion-electrodynamics. The new form of Maxwell's equations gives rise to a new parametric instability in which a strong pump decays into a scattered light wave and an axion. This axion mode grows exponentially in time and leads to a change in the polarisation of the initial laser beam, therefore providing a signal for detection. Currently operating laser systems can put bounds on the axion parameter space, however long…
We discuss an improved detection scheme for a light-shining-through-wall (LSW) experiment for axion-like particle searches. We propose to use: gyrotrons or klystrons, which can provide extremely intense photon fluxes at frequencies around 30 GHz; transition-edge-sensors (TES) single photon detectors in this frequency domain, with efficiency $\approx1$; high quality factor Fabry-Perot cavities in the microwave domain, both on the photon-axion conversion and photon regeneration sides. We compute that present laboratory exclusion limits on axion-like particles might be improved by at least four o…
The possibility for our visible world to be a 3-brane embedded in a multidimensional bulk is at the heart of many theoretical edifices in high-energy physics. Probing the braneworld hypothesis is thus a major experimental challenge. Following recent theoretical works showing that matter swapping between braneworlds can occur, we propose a neutron-shining-through-a-wall experiment. We first show that an intense neutron source such as a nuclear reactor core can induce a hidden neutron flux in an adjacent hidden braneworld. We then describe how a low-background detector can detect neutrons arisin…
The ALPS collaboration runs a light-shining-through-walls (LSW) experiment to search for photon oscillations into "weakly interacting sub-eV particles" (WISPs) inside of a superconducting HERA dipole magnet at the site of DESY. In this paper we report on the first successful integration of a large-scale optical cavity to boost the available power for WISP production in this type of experiments. The key elements are a frequency tunable narrow line-width continuous wave laser acting as the primary light source and an electronic feed-back control loop to stabilize the power build-up. We describe …
The damping of the axionic string motion due to the surrounding plasma is estimated by a detailed calculation of the fermion scatter from a global string and it is shown that the friction force on the string can be neglected before the axionic domain wall formation in most cases, which is one of the important necessary conditions for the scaling distribution of the strings. The energy density of the axion produced by the collapse of the axionic domain walls is also evaluated using the axionic string distribution, and it is found to be larger or at least comparable to the axion density which or…
Generic axion models give rise to axion domain walls in the early Universe and they have to disappear not to overclose the universe, thus limiting the nature of discrete symmetry allowed in these type of models. Through QCD sphalerons, net chiral charge can be created by these collapsing walls which in turn can result the observed baryon assymmetry.
We show that axion domain wall is ferromagnetic in the universe with nonvanishing baryon number or lepton number. It is caused by protons and electrons bounded to the domain wall with their spins aligned. These bound states arise due to attractive potentials generated through pseudo-vector couplings between the fermions and the axion. Using a model of hadronic axions we predict existence of a primordial magnetic field with strength $10^{-13}$ Gauss at recombination.
We show that axion domain walls gain spontaneous magnetization in early universe by trapping either electrons or positrons with their spins polarized. The reason is that the walls produces an attractive potential for these particles. We argue that the wall bounded by an axionic superconducting string leaves a magnetic field after its decay. We obtain a field $\sim 10^{-23}$ Gauss on the scale of horizon at the recombination.
In addition to gravity, there might be another very weak interaction between the ordinary and dark matter transmitted by U'(1) gauge bosons A' (dark photons) mixing with our photons. If such A's exist, they could be searched for in a light-shining-through-a-wall experiment with a high energy electron beam. The electron energy absorption in a calorimeter (CAL1) is accompanied by the emission of bremsstrahlung A's in the reaction eZ -> eZA' of electrons scattering on nuclei due to the γ- A' mixing. A part of the primary beam energy is deposited in the CAL1, while the rest of the energy is transm…
We show that a new chiral, confining interaction can be used to break Peccei-Quinn symmetry dynamically and solve the domain wall problem, simultaneously. The resulting theory is an invisible QCD axion model without domain walls. No dangerous heavy relics appear.
The domain wall problem and the isocurvature problem restrict possible combinations of axion models and inflation models. In this paper, we considered a new mechanism which solves those problems by dynamics of multiple scalar fields during/after inflation. The mechanism makes axion models with a non-trivial domain wall number compatible with inflation models with a large Hubble parameter, $H_{I} \gg 10^{7\mbox{-}8}\,$GeV. The mechanism also avoids the isocurvature problem. This mechanism increases the freedom of choice of combinations of axion models and inflation models.
We consider the possibility of an axion-like particle (ALP) that is a ghost, with wrong-sign kinetic and mass terms. Such an ALP can arise as the partner to an ordinary particle in theories with higher-derivative quadratic terms. We compute the photon regeneration probability in light-shining-through-wall experiments and show that the presence of such a ghostly ALP can lead, in principle, to discernible effects.
One of the most promising methods to search for axions is a light-shining-through-walls (LSW) experiment. In this work, we discuss the possibility of performing an LSW experiment at the ILC experiment, where photon beams are generated for positron production. The photon beam is energetic and intense; the energy is of order MeV and the number of photons is about $10^{24}$ per year. Due to the high energy and intensity, this LSW experiment can reveal the parameter region of the axion unexplored by previous ground-based experiments.
String scenarios typically not only predict axion-like particles (ALPs) but also significant amounts of ALP dark radiation originating from the decay of the inflaton or a more general modulus. In this paper, we study the decay of such non-thermally produced relativistic (but massive) ALPs to photons. If the ALPs are sufficiently highly energetic, contribute to $ΔN_{\rm eff} \gtrsim {\cal O}(0.001)$ and have a mass $m_a\gtrsim$ MeV we find that, using observations of X-, and $γ$-rays, the CMB and BBN, very small values of the ALP-photon coupling can be probed, corresponding to an origin of this…
Using microwave cavities one can build a resonant ``light-shining-through-walls'' experiment to search for hidden sector photons and axion like particles, predicted in many extensions of the standard model. In this note we make a feasibility study of the sensitivities which can be reached using state of the art technology.
We propose a variation, based on very low energy and extremely intense photon sources, on the well established technique of Light-Shining-through-Wall (LSW) experiments for axion-like particle searches. With radiation sources at 30 GHz, we compute that present laboratory exclusion limits on axion-like particles might be improved by at least four orders of magnitude, for masses m_a <~ 0.01~meV. This could motivate research and development programs on dedicated single-photon sub-THz detectors.
We discuss the decay of axion walls bounded by strings and present numerical simulations of the decay process. In these simulations, the decay happens immediately, in a time scale of order the light travel time, and the average energy of the radiated axions is $<ω_a > \simeq 7 m_a$ for $v_a/m_a\simeq 500$. $<ω_a>$ is found to increase approximately linearly with $\ln(v_a/m_a)$. Extrapolation of this behaviour yields $<ω_a> \simeq 60 m_a$ in axion models of interest.
We investigate a scenario where the dark matter of the Universe is made from very light hidden photons transforming under a $Z_{2}$-symmetry. In contrast to the usual situation, kinetic mixing is forbidden by the symmetry and the dark photon interacts with the Standard Model photon only via an axion-like particle acting as a "messenger". Focusing on signatures involving the ordinary photon, our survey of the phenomenology includes limits from cosmological stability, CMB distortions, astrophysical energy loss, light-shining-through-walls experiments, helioscopes and solar X-ray observations.
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY（德国电子同步加速器）；University of Oxford（牛津大学）；Weizmann Institute of Science（魏茨曼科学研究所）；Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE)（高能物理研究所）；Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)（巴塞罗那科学技术研究所）
A resonantly-enhanced photon-regeneration experiment to search for the axion or axion-like particles is described. This experiment is a shining light through walls study, where photons travelling through a strong magnetic field are (in part) converted to axions; the axions can pass through an opaque wall and convert (in part) back to photons in a second region of strong magnetic field. The photon regeneration is enhanced by employing matched Fabry-Perot optical cavities, with one cavity within the axion generation magnet and the second within the photon regeneration magnet. Compared to simple …
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学汤川研究所）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学物理与天文学院）；SISSA International School for Advanced Studies（国际高等研究院）；INFN, Sezione di Trieste（意大利国家核物理研究所的里雅斯特分部）；IFPU（伊萨尔利亚基础物理研究所）
Intense electric field $\sim 10^{10}-10^{11}$ V/cm in crystal has been known for a long time and has wide applications. We study the conversion of axion-like light particle and photon in the intense electric field in crystal. We find that the conversion of axion-like particle and photon happens for energy larger than keV range. We propose search of axion-like light particle using the intense crystalline field. We discuss the solar axion search experiment and a variety of shining-through-wall experiment using crystalline field. Due to the intense crystalline field which corresponds to magnetic …
The serious cosmological problems created by the axion-string/axion-domain-wall system in standard axion models are alleviated by positing the existence of a new confining force. The instantons of this force can generate an axion potential that erases the axion strings long before QCD effects become important, thus preventing QCD-generated axion walls from ever appearing. Axion walls generated by the new confining force would decay so early as not to contribute significantly to the energy in axion dark matter.
Many modifications of gravity introduce new scalar degrees of freedom, and in such theories matter fields typically couple to an effective metric that depends on both the true metric of spacetime and on the scalar field and its derivatives. Scalar field contributions to the effective metric can be classified as conformal and disformal. Disformal terms introduce gradient couplings between scalar fields and the energy momentum tensor of other matter fields, and cannot be constrained by fifth force experiments because the effects of these terms are trivial around static non-relativistic sources. …
We study the cosmological evolution of domain walls bounded by strings which arise naturally in axion models. If we introduce a bias in the potential, walls become metastable and finally disappear. We perform two dimensional lattice simulations of domain wall networks and estimate the decay rate of domain walls. By using the numerical results, we give a constraint for the bias parameter and the Peccei-Quinn scale. We also discuss the possibility to probe axion models by direct detection of gravitational waves produced by domain walls.
Large N gluodynamics was shown to have a set of metastable vacua with the gluonic domain walls interpolating between them. The walls may separate the genuine vacuum from an excited one, or two excited vacua which are unstable at finite N (here N is the number of colors). One may attempt to stabilize them by switching on the axion field. We study how the light quarks and the axion affect the structure of the domain walls. In pure gluodynamics (with the axion field) the axion walls acquire a very hard gluonic core. Thus, we deal with a wall "sandwich" which is stable at finite N. In the case of …
We investigate the prospect of an alternative laboratory-based search for the coupling of axions and axion-like particles to photons. Here, the collision of two laser beams resonantly produces axions, and a signal photon is detected after magnetic reconversion, as in light-shining-through-walls (LSW) experiments. Conventional searches, such as LSW or anomalous birefrigence measurements, are most sensitive to axion masses for which substantial coherence can be achieved; this is usually well below optical energies. We find that using currently available high-power laser facilities, the bounds th…
