Several detection strategies for wave-like dark matter make use of gradients in the dark matter field, e.g. searches for spin-dependent derivative interactions in CASPEr-wind or experiments looking for oscillating forces. These gradients are usually suppressed by the local dark matter velocity $\sim 10^{-3}$. In this note we investigate how these gradients are modified in the presence of additional quadratic interactions of the dark matter field with ordinary matter. In this case the dark matter density and field are modified in the vicinity of Earth, affecting the detection sensitivity due to the change in the local field value at the Earth's surface but also due to the gradient of the field profile itself. We also use this opportunity to present results on the expected field profiles in presence of a non-vanishing relative velocity of the dark matter with respect to Earth. We also comment how this ameliorates the divergences that appear for certain attractive coupling values.
We advocate for the idea that there is a fundamentally new mechanism for axion production on Earth, as recently suggested in Fischer et al. (2018) and Liang & Zhitnitsky (2018). We specifically focus on production of axions within Earth, with low velocities such that they will be trapped in the gravitational field. Our computations are based on the so-called Axion Quark Nugget (AQN) dark matter model, which was originally invented to explain the similarity of the dark and visible cosmological matter densities. This occurs in the model irrespective of the axion mass $m_\mathrm{a}$ or initial mi…
We demonstrate that ultralight axion dark matter with a coupling to photons induces an oscillating global terrestrial magnetic field signal in the presence of the background geomagnetic field of the Earth. This signal is similar in structure to that of dark-photon dark matter that was recently pointed out and searched for in [arXiv:2106.00022] and [arXiv:2108.08852]. It has a global vectorial pattern fixed by the Earth's geomagnetic field, is temporally coherent on long time scales, and has a frequency set by the axion mass $m_a$. In this work, we both compute the detailed signal pattern, and …
We discuss the sensitivity of the present and near-future axion dark matter experiments to a halo of axions or axion-like particles gravitationally bound to the Earth or the Sun. The existence of such halos, assuming they are formed, renders a significant gain in the sensitivity of axion searches while satisfying all the present experimental bounds. The structure and coherence properties of these halos also imply novel signals, which can depend on the latitude or orientation of the detector. We demonstrate this by analysing the sensitivity of several distinct types of axion dark matter experim…
The ultralight axion with mass around $10^{-22}$ eV is known as a candidate of dark matter. A peculiar feature of the ultralight axion is oscillating pressure in time, which produces oscillation of gravitational potentials. Since the solar system moves through the dark matter halo at the velocity of about $v \sim 300 \, \text{km} / \text{s} = 10^{-3}$, there exists axion wind, which looks like scalar gravitational waves for us. Hence, there is a chance to detect ultralight axion dark matter with a wide mass range by using laser interferometer detectors. We calculate the detector signal induced…
We review results from QCD axion string and domain wall simulations and propagate the associated uncertainties, including QCD uncertainties, into the calculation of the axion relic density. We compare two different sets of studies and, using cosmological constraints, perform statistical inference on the axion mass window in the post-inflationary Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking scenario. For dark matter axions in recent simulations inferring a moderately infrared-dominated spectrum, this leads to a median dark matter axion mass of 0.50 meV, while the 95% credible interval at highest posterior de…
We show that solar axion conversion to photons in the Earth's magnetosphere can produce an x-ray flux, with average energy \sim 4 keV, which is measurable on the dark side of the Earth. The smallness of the Earth's magnetic field is compensated by a large magnetized volume. For axion masses < 10^{-4} eV, a low-Earth-orbit x-ray detector with an effective area of 10^4 cm^2, pointed at the solar core, can probe the photon-axion coupling down to 10^{-11} GeV^{-1}, in one year. Thus, the sensitivity of this new approach will be an order of magnitude beyond current laboratory limits.
Primordial electromagnetic fields can strongly affect the cosmic evolution of axions, and vice versa. We show that if helical electromagnetic fields are coherently produced in the early universe, their remnants source a field velocity to the coupled axions and enhance the relic abundance of axion dark matter. We discuss the implications for the QCD axion and axion-like particles that are coupled to the SM or hidden gauge groups. For a QCD axion coupled to hidden photons, we find that the conventional window for the axion decay constant $10^{8}\, \mathrm{GeV} \lesssim f \lesssim 10^{12}\, \math…
Momentum and Matter Matter for Axion Dark Matter Matters on Earth
University of Maryland, College Park（马里兰大学帕克分校）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校理论物理中心）；Université de Strasbourg（斯特拉斯堡大学）；CNRS（法国国家科学研究中心）；IPHC UMR7178（高能物理研究所）；Université de Genève（日内瓦大学）；Weizmann Institute of Science（魏茨曼科学研究所）；The University of Sydney（悉尼大学）
We show existence of strong negative correlation between the temporal variations of magnetic field toroidal component of the solar tachocline (the bottom of convective zone) and the Earth magnetic field (Y-component). The possibility that hypothetical solar axions, which can transform into photons in external electric or magnetic fields (the inverse Primakoff effect), can be the instrument by which the magnetic field of convective zone of the Sun modulates the magnetic field of the Earth is considered. We propose the axion mechanism of "solar dynamo-geodynamo" connection, where an energy of ax…
Axions and axion-like particles may couple to nuclear spins like a weak oscillating effective magnetic field, the "axion wind." Existing proposals for detecting the axion wind sourced by dark matter exploit analogies to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and aim to detect the small transverse field generated when the axion wind resonantly tips the precessing spins in a polarized sample of material. We describe a new proposal using the homogeneous precession domain (HPD) of superfluid helium-3 as the detection medium, where the effect of the axion wind is a small shift in the precession frequency…
We present a detailed computation of the expected rate for Geomagnetic Conversion of Solar Axions to X-rays (GECOSAX) along the orbit of an x-ray satellite. We use realistic satellite orbits and propagation in time. A realistic model for the Earth's magnetic field, which properly accounts for its spatial non-uniformity, is used. We also account for the effect of the Earth's atmosphere on the propagation of x-rays in our calculation of axion-photon conversion probability. To estimate possible sensitivities to the axion-photon coupling g_{aγ}, we use an actual measurement of the expected backgro…
Mixed dark matter scenario can reconcile the COBE data and the observed large scale structure. So far the massive neutrino with a mass of a few eV has been the only discussed candidate for the hot dark matter component. We point out that the hadronic axion in the so-called hadronic axion window, f_a \sim 10^6 GeV, is a perfect candidate as hot dark matter within the mixed dark matter scenario. The current limits on the hadronic axion are summarized. The most promising methods to verify the hadronic axion in this window are the resonant absorption of almost-monochromatic solar axions from M1 tr…
Ultralight axion like particles (ALPs) of mass $m_a\in (10^{-21}\rm{eV}-10^{-22}\rm{eV})$ with axion decay constant $f_a\sim 10^{17}\rm{GeV}$ can be candidates for fuzzy dark matter (FDM). If celestial bodies like Earth and Sun are immersed in a low mass axionic FDM potential and if the ALPs have coupling with nucleons then the coherent oscillation of the axionic field results a long range axion hair outside of the celestial bodies. The range of the axion mediated Yukawa type fifth force is determined by the distance between the Earth and the Sun which fixes the upper bound of the mass of axio…
We present a new mechanism to deplete the energy density of the QCD axion, making decay constants as high as $f_a \simeq 10^{17}\,\rm{GeV}$ viable for generic initial conditions. In our setup, the axion couples to a massless dark photon with a coupling that is moderately stronger than the axion coupling to gluons. Dark photons are produced copiously through a tachyonic instability when the axion field starts oscillating, and an exponential suppression of the axion density can be achieved. For a large part of the parameter space this dark radiation component of the universe can be observable in…
The characteristic axion couplings could be generated via effective couplings between the Standard Model (SM) fermions to a pseudo-Goldstone from a high-scale $U(1)$ Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry breaking. Assuming that the UV-induced effective operators generate necessary couplings before the PQ symmetry breaking, and any low-scale couplings to the SM are restricted to the Yukawa sector, three minimal natural scenarios can be formulated, which provides a connection between the QCD-axions and mediators at the GUT/string scales. We find that the PQ symmetry breaking scale could be about $10^{15}$ …
GPS, an excellent tool for geodesy, may serve also particle physics. In the presence of Earth's magnetic field, a GPS photon may be transformed into an axion. The proposed experimental setup involves the transmission of a GPS signal from a satellite to another satellite, both in low orbit around the Earth. To increase the accuracy of the experiment, we evaluate the influence of Earth's gravitational field on the whole quantum phenomenon. There is a significant advantage in our proposal. While geomagnetic field B is low, the magnetized length L is very large, resulting into a scale (BL)^2 order…
Signature of axion dark matter in low-frequency terrestrial electromagnetic fields: formulation and predictions
Center for Gravitational Physics and Quantum Information, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University（京都大学 引力物理学与量子信息中心，汤川理论物理研究所）；Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo（东京大学 东大高等研究院 宇宙物理数学研究所）；Korea Institute for Advanced Study（韩国高等科学研究院）；Physics Program, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University（广岛大学 先进理工学研究科 物理项目）；Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University（广岛大学 天体物理科学中心）；Department of Liberal Arts and Basic Sciences, College of Industrial Technology, Nihon University（日本大学 产业技术学部 教养与基础科学系）
School of Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beihang University（北京航空航天大学仪器科学与光电工程学院）；International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (QUP, WPI), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)（高能加速器研究机构（KEK）宇宙与粒子研究量子场测量系统国际中心（WPI））；Quantum Science and Engineering Centre, Nanyang Technological University（南洋理工大学量子科学与工程中心）；School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University（南洋理工大学物理与数学科学学院）；CERN, Theoretical Physics Department（欧洲核子研究中心理论物理部）；Physics Department, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology（以色列理工学院物理系）；Quantum Science and Technology College, Beihang University（北京航空航天大学量子科学与技术学院）；Hefei National Laboratory（合肥国家实验室）
Searches for the axion and axionlike particles may hold the key to unlocking some of the deepest puzzles about our universe, such as dark matter and dark energy. Here we use the recently demonstrated spin-based amplifier to constrain such hypothetical particles within the well-motivated ``axion window'' (1 $μ$eV-1 meV) through searching for an exotic spin-spin interaction between polarized electron and neutron spins. The key ingredient is the use of hyperpolarized long-lived $^{129}$Xe nuclear spins as an amplifier for the pseudomagnetic field generated by the exotic interaction. Using such a …
The addition of the QCD axion to the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) not only solves the strong CP problem but also modifies the dark sector with new dark matter candidates. While SUSY axion phenomenology is usually restricted to searches for the axion itself or searches for the ordinary SUSY particles, this work focuses on scenarios where the axion's superpartner, the axino, may be detectable at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in the decays of neutralinos displaced from the primary vertex. In particular, we focus on the KSVZ axino within the hadronic axion window. The decay lengt…
The geodetic and frame-dragging effects are the direct consequences of the spacetime curvature near Earth which can be probed from the Gravity probe B (GP-B) satellite. The satellite result matches quite well with Einstein's general relativistic result. The gyroscope of the satellite which measures the spacetime curvature near Earth contains lots of electrons and nucleons. Ultralight axions, vector gauge bosons, and unparticles can interact with these electrons and nucleons through different spin-dependent and spin-independent operators and change the drift rate of the gyroscope. Some of these…
A model of high scale inflation is presented where the radial part of the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) field with a non-minimal coupling to gravity plays the role of the inflaton, and the QCD axion is the dark matter. A quantum fluctuation of $\mathcal{O}(H/2π)$ in the axion field will result in a smaller angular fluctuation if the PQ field is sitting at a larger radius during inflation than in the vacuum. This changes the effective axion decay constant, $f_a$, during inflation and dramatically reduces the production of isocurvature modes. This mechanism opens up a new window in parameter space where an …
The cosmic microwave background (CMB) places strong constraints on models of dark matter (DM) that deviate from standard cold DM (CDM), and on initial conditions beyond the scalar adiabatic mode. Here, the full \textit{Planck} data set (including temperature, $E$-mode polarisation, and lensing deflection) is used to test the possibility that some fraction of the DM is composed of ultralight axions (ULAs). This represents the first use of CMB lensing to test the ULA model. We find no evidence for a ULA component in the mass range $10^{-33}\leq m_a\leq 10^{-24}\text{ eV}$. We put percent-level c…
In the present work we study possible time dependent effects in Axion Dark Matter searches employing resonant cavities. We find that the width of the resonance, which depends on the axion mean square velocity in the local frame, will show an annual variation due to the motion of the Earth around the sun (modulation). Furthermore, if the experiments become directional, employing suitable resonant cavities, one expects large asymmetries in the observed widths relative to the sun's direction of motion. Due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis, these asymmetries will manifest themselves as…
The abundance of the QCD axion is known to be suppressed if the Hubble parameter during inflation, $H_{\rm inf}$, is lower than the QCD scale, and if the inflation lasts sufficiently long. We show that the tight upper bound on the inflation scale can be significantly relaxed if the eternal old inflation is driven by the standard-model Higgs field trapped in a false vacuum at large field values. Specifically, $H_{\rm inf}$ can be larger than $100\,$GeV if the false vacuum is located above the intermediate scale. We also discuss the slow-roll inflation after the tunneling from the false vacuum t…
We study axion dark matter production from a misalignment mechanism in scenarios featuring a general nonstandard cosmology. Before the onset of Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the energy density of the universe is dominated by a particle field $ϕ$ described by a general equation of state $ω$. The ensuing enhancement of the Hubble expansion rate decreases the temperature at which axions start to oscillate, opening this way the possibility for axions heavier than in the standard window. This is the case for kination, or in general for scenarios with $ω> 1/3$. However, if $ω< 1/3$, as in the case of an…
We show the existence of the strong inverse correlation between the temporal variations of the toroidal component of the magnetic field in the solar tachocline (the bottom of the convective zone) and the Earth magnetic field (the Y-component). The possibility that the hypothetical solar axions, which can transform into photons in external electric or magnetic fields (the inverse Primakoff effect), can be the instrument by which the magnetic field of the Sun convective zone modulates the magnetic field of the Earth is considered. We propose the axion mechanism of Sun luminosity and "solar dynam…
We apply the axion-photon conversion mechanism to the 130 GeV $γ$-ray line observed by the Fermi satellite. Near the Galactic center, some astrophysical sources and/or particle dark matter can produce energetic axions (or axionlike particles), and the axions convert to $γ$ rays in Galactic magnetic fields along their flight to the Earth. Since continuum $γ$-ray and antiproton productions are sufficiently suppressed in axion production, the scenario fits the 130 GeV $γ$-ray line without conflicting with cosmic ray measurements. We derive the axion production cross section and the decay rate of …
We develop a formalism to describe extensions of existing axion haloscope designs to those that possess directional sensitivity to incoming dark matter axion velocities. The effects are measurable if experiments are designed to have dimensions that approach the typical coherence length for the local axion field. With directional sensitivity, axion detection experiments would have a greatly enhanced potential to probe the local dark matter velocity distribution. We develop our formalism generally, but apply it to specific experimental designs, namely resonant cavities and dielectric disk halosc…
Axions are among the best motivated dark matter candidates. Their production in the early Universe by the vacuum misalignment mechanism gives rise to isocurvature perturbations, which are constrained by cosmic microwave background measurements. In this paper, we compute the axion isocurvature power spectrum using spectral expansion in the stochastic Starobinsky-Yokoyama formalism, which captures non-linear effects in the axion dynamics. In contrast to most of the existing literature, we focus on high inflationary Hubble rates of order $10^{13}~{\rm GeV}$, and demonstrate that there is a signif…
Conventional approaches to probing axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) typically rely on a coupling to photons. However, if this coupling is extremely weak, ALPs become invisible and are effectively decoupled from the Standard Model. Here we show that such invisible axions, which are viable candidates for dark matter, can produce a stochastic gravitational wave background in the early universe. This signal is generated in models where the invisible axion couples to a dark gauge boson that experiences a tachyonic instability when the axion begins to oscillate. Incidentally, the same mechanis…
In the present work we study possible time dependent effects in Axion Dark Matter searches employing resonant cavities. We find that the width of the resonance, which depends on the axion mean square velocity in the local frame, will show an annual variation due to the motion of the Earth around the sun (modulation). Furthermore, if the experiments become directional, employing suitable resonant cavities, one expects large asymmetries in the observed widths relative to the sun's direction of motion. Due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis, these asymmetries will manifest themselves as…
Recently, quantum states of ultra-cold neutrons in the Earth's gravitational field have been observed for the first time. From the fact that they are consistent with Newtonian gravity on the 10 %-level, analytical limits on alpha and lambda of short-range Yukawa-like additional interactions are derived between lambda = 1 micrometer and 1 mm. We arrive for lambda > 10 micrometer at alpha < 2 \cdot 10^11 at 90 % confidence level. This translates into a limit g_s g_p / (\hbar c) < 2 \cdot 10^{-15} on the pseudo-scalar coupling of axions in the previously experimentally unaccessible astrophysical …
If a supernova explosion occurs within a few hundred parsecs from the Earth, a huge number of axions, in addition to neutrinos, may arrive at the Earth. In this paper, we discuss in detail the prospect of detecting those supernova axions by an axion helioscope. With the help of a pre-supernova neutrino alert system, it is possible to point a helioscope at an exploding supernova in advance. The supernova axions can then be detected by a gamma-ray detector installed at the end of the helioscope. We call such a detection system an axion supernova-scope (SNscope). We propose a conceptual design fo…
Collective excitations in condensed matter systems, such as phonons and magnons, have recently been proposed as novel detection channels for light dark matter. We show that excitation of i) optical phonon polaritons in polar materials in an ${\mathcal O}$(1 T) magnetic field (via the axion-photon coupling), and ii) gapped magnons in magnetically ordered materials (via the axion wind coupling to the electron spin), can cover the difficult-to-reach ${\mathcal O}$(1-100) meV mass window of QCD axion dark matter with less than a kilogram-year exposure. Finding materials with a large number of opti…
A new method for searching for Dark Matter axions is proposed. It is shown that a two-contact SQUID can detect oscillating magnetic perturbations induced by the axions in a strong inhomogeneous magnetic field. A resonant signal is a steplike response in the SQUID current-voltage characteristic at a voltage corresponding to the axion mass with a height depending on the axion energy density near the Earth. The proposed experimental technique appears to be sensitive to the axions with masses $m_a\lesssim 10^{-4}$ eV, which is well-motivated by current researches both in cosmology and in particle …
In our previous work, we found new types of the cosmic string solutions in the Abelian-Higgs model with an enhanced $U(1)$ global symmetry. We dubbed those solutions as the compensated/uncompensated strings. The compensated string is similar to the conventional cosmic string in the Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen (ANO) string, around which only the would-be Nambu-Goldstone (NG) boson winds. Around the uncompensated string, on the other hand, the physical NG boson also winds, where the physical NG boson is associated with the spontaneous breaking of the enhanced symmetry. Our previous simulation in th…
Revisiting Turner Window Axions: The Untapped Potential of NaI Dark Matter Detectors
University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校）；Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington（华盛顿大学核理论研究所）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；Queen’s University（女王大学）；Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics（基础物理珀蒂默研究所）；Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室）
As recently advocated in \cite{Fischer:2018niu}, there is a fundamentally new mechanism for the axion production in the Sun and Earth. However, the role of very slow axions in previous studies were neglected because of its negligible contribution to the total axion production by this new mechanism. In the present work we specifically focus on analysis of the non-relativistic axions which will be trapped by the Sun and Earth due to the gravitational forces. The corresponding emission rate of these low energy axions (below the escape velocity) is very tiny. However, these axions will be accumula…
If ALPs exist, the refractive index of light will be modified when light traverses a region where an ALP field is present. We propose to measure the refractive index of light and its angular dependence as the Earth rotates with respect to the direction of the ALP wind. The LIGO Interferometers are sensitive to differences in the refractive index of the light circulating in the two arms, and such differences were recorded during the S5 run, February 2006 to July 2007. They are due in part to the horizontal tidal gradients when they are aligned with one of the arms. In addition a very strong mod…
We propose experimental schemes for detection an axionic condensate supposed to be cosmic dark matter. Various procedures are considered in dependence on the value of the axion mass. There are well known indications that a large part of the Universe mass exists in a form of dark matter: The analysis of rotation curves of galaxies leads to the conclusion that the mass of luminous matter is less than 1/10 part of the total galaxies mass. The existence of the dark matter is supported by the so called "virial paradoxes". It turns out that the reach and compact galaxies have unacceptible large $\ba…
Is the Turner Window Open? Seeking Closure with Resonant Absorption of Galactic Axions in NaI Dark Matter Detectors
University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校）；Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington（华盛顿大学核理论研究所）；Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory（劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）；Queen’s University（女王大学）；The Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute（亚瑟·B·麦克唐纳加拿大天体粒子物理研究所）；Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics（理论物理前沿研究所）；Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室）
