Probing eV-Scale Axions with CAST

Arik, E. ; Aune, S. ; Autiero, D. ; Barth, K. ; Belov, A. ; Beltran, B. ; Borghi, S. ; Bourlis, G. ; Boydag, F. S. ; Braeuninger, H. ; Carmona, J. M. ; Cebrian, S. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Cetin, S. A. ; Collar, J. I. ; Dafni, T. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Davenport, M. ; Di Lella, L. ; Dogan, O. B. ; Eleftheriadis, C. ; Elias, N. ; Fanourakis, G. ; Ferrer-Ribas, E. ; Fischer, H. ; Friedrich, P. ; Franz, J. ; Galan, J. ; Geralis, T. ; Giomataris, I. ; Gninenko, S. ; Gomez, H. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Hartmann, R. ; Hasinoff, M. ; Heinsius, F. H. ; Hikmet, I. ; Hoffmann, D. H. H. ; Irastorza, I. G. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Jacoby, J. ; Jakovcic, K. ; Kang, D. ; Koenigsmann, K. ; Kotthaus, R. ; Krcmar, M. ; Kousouris, K. ; Kuster, M. ; Lakic, B. ; Lasseur, C. ; Liolios, A. ; Ljubicic, A. ; Lutz, G. ; Luzon, G. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Miller, D. ; Morales, J. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Niinikoski, T. ; Nordt, A. ; Ortiz, A. ; Papaevangelou, T. ; Pivovaroff, M. J. ; Placci, A. ; Raffelt, G. ; Riege, H. ; Rodriguez, A. ; Ruz, J. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Savvidis, I. ; Semertzidis, Y. ; Serpico, P. ; Soufli, R. ; Stewart, L. ; Van Bibber, K. ; Villar, J. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Vogel, J. ; Walckiers, L. ; Zioutas, K.

Resumen: We have searched for solar axions or other pseudoscalar particles that couple to two photons by using the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) setup. Whereas we previously have reported results from CAST with evacuated magnet bores (Phase I), setting limits on lower mass axions, here we report results from CAST where the magnet bores were filled with 4He gas (Phase II) of variable pressure. The introduction of gas generates a refractive photon mass mγ, thereby achieving the maximum possible conversion rate for those axion masses ma that match mγ. With 160 different pressure settings we have scanned ma up to about 0.4 eV, taking approximately 2 h of data for each setting. From the absence of excess x-rays when the magnet was pointing to the Sun, we set a typical upper limit on the axion-photon coupling of gaγ≲2.2 × 10−10 GeV−1 at 95% CL for ma≲0.4 eV, the exact result depending on the pressure setting. The excluded parameter range covers realistic axion models with a Peccei-Quinn scale in the neighborhood of fa ∼ 107 GeV. Currently in the second part of CAST Phase II, we are searching for axions with masses up to about 1.2 eV using 3He as a buffer gas.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1088/1475-7516/2009/02/008

Año: 2009

Publicado en: Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics 2, 008 (2009), 1-15
ISSN: 1475-7516

Factor impacto JCR: 6.502 (2009)

Categ. JCR: PHYSICS, PARTICLES & FIELDS rank: 3 / 27 = 0.111 (2009) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS rank: 6 / 52 = 0.115 (2009) - Q1 - T1

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Física Atóm.Molec.y Nucl. (Dpto. Física Teórica)