Search for decaying eV-mass axion-like particles using gamma-ray signal from blazars

Korochkin, A.; Neronov, A.; Semikoz, D.

doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2020/03/064

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For m χ c 2 8 eV, the required decay rates are currently unconstrained, and interestingly overlap with the favored region from Ref. [58]. Thus, it is possible that the COB excess is indeed produced by dark matter decays.…”

mentioning

confidence: 76%

“…We include the most competitive existing bounds on this mass range, namely the spectroscopic observations of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Leo T with MUSE [55] and optical searches using VIMOS spectra for line emission in the galaxy clusters Abell 2667 and 2390 [56], and limits derived from the study of the cooling of horizontal branch stars in globular clusters [57]. We also include the tentative 68% confidence level favored regions on the axion parameter space from the study of the blazar 1ES 1218+304 γ-ray spectrum [58], which requires a bump in the extragalactic background light (EBL) to fit the attenuation of the spectrum at high energies [59]. For m χ c 2 8 eV, the required decay rates are currently unconstrained, and interestingly overlap with the favored region from Ref.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The cosmic optical background excess, dark matter, and line-intensity mapping

Bernal¹,

Sato-Polito²,

Kamionkowski³

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent studies using New Horizons LORRI images have returned the most precise measurement of the cosmic optical background to date, yielding a flux that exceeds that expected from deep galaxy counts by roughly a factor of two. We investigate whether this excess, detected at ∼ 4σ significance, is due to dark matter that decays to a monoenergetic photon with a rest-frame energy in the range 0.5 − 10 eV. We derive the spectral energy distribution from such decays and the contribution to the flux measured by LORRI. The parameter space that explains the measured excess with decays to photons with energies E 4 eV is unconstrained to date. If the excess arises from dark-matter decay to a photon line, there will be a significant signal in forthcoming line-intensity mapping measurements. Moreover, the ultraviolet instrument aboard New Horizons (which will have better sensitivity and probe a different range of the spectrum) and future studies of very high-energy γ-ray attenuation will also test this hypothesis and expand the search for dark matter to a wider range of frequencies.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 76%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The cosmic optical background excess, dark matter, and line-intensity mapping

Bernal¹,

Sato-Polito²,

Kamionkowski³

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This would in turn increase the opacity of the Universe. First analyses indicate that ground-based gamma-ray observations are promising to constrain these comparatively heavy ALPs [189][190][191].…”

Section: Deviations From the Standard Model At Ultra-high And Ultra-l...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gamma-Ray Cosmology and Tests of Fundamental Physics

Biteau

Meyer

2022

Galaxies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The propagation of gamma-rays over cosmological distances is the subject of extensive theoretical and observational research at GeV and TeV energies. The mean free path of gamma-rays in the cosmic web is limited above 100 GeV due to the production of electrons and positrons on the cosmic optical and infrared backgrounds. Electrons and positrons cool in the intergalactic medium while gyrating in its magnetic fields, which could cause either its global heating or the production of lower-energy secondary gamma-rays. The energy distribution of gamma-rays surviving the cosmological journey carries observed absorption features that gauge the emissivity of baryonic matter over cosmic time, constrain the distance scale of ΛCDM cosmology, and limit the alterations of the interaction cross section. Competitive constraints are, in particular, placed on the cosmic star-formation history as well as on phenomena expected from quantum gravity and string theory, such as the coupling to hypothetical axion-like particles or the violation of Lorentz invariance. Recent theoretical and observational advances offer a glimpse of the multi-wavelength and multi-messenger path that the new generation of gamma-ray observatories is about to open.

show abstract

“…Since the gamma-ray absorption depends on the integrated EBL photon density, it is sensitive to all kinds of contributions to the EBL. Gamma-ray observations have therefore been used to constrain models of the earliest massive (population III) stars [267] as well as searching for physics beyond the standard model (PBSM) like dark-matter powered stars [268] or the decay of dark matter in the form of hypothetical axions into optical and infrared photons [269][270][271][272]. Effects of PBSM could also include a modification of the gamma-ray opacity of the Universe.…”

Section: Snowmass2021 Cf07 Gamma-ray Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Future of Gamma-Ray Experiments in the MeV-EeV Range

Engel¹,

Goodman²,

Huentemeyer³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Naturally occurring particle accelerators shine brightly throughout the universe, inviting us to discover fundamental laws and hone our theories if we look in their directions with the right detectors. Gamma-rays, the most energetic photons, carry information from the far reaches of extragalactic space with minimal interaction or loss of information. They bring messages about particle acceleration in environments so extreme they cannot be reproduced on earth for a closer look. Gamma-ray astrophysics is so complementary with collider work that particle physicists and astroparticle physicists are often one in the same.Gamma-ray instruments, especially the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, have been pivotal in major multi-messenger discoveries over the past decade. There is presently a great deal of interest and scientific expertise available to push forward new technologies, to plan and build space-and ground-based gamma-ray facilities, and to build multimessenger networks with gamma rays at their core. It is therefore concerning that before the community comes together for planning exercises again, much of that infrastructure could be lost to a lack of long-term planning for support of gamma-ray astrophysics. Gamma-rays with energies from the MeV to the EeV band are therefore central to multiwavelength and multi-messenger studies to everything from astroparticle physics with compact objects, to dark matter studies with diffuse large scale structure.These science goals and the excitement of new discoveries have generated a wave of new gamma-ray facility proposals and programs. Since the legacy of existing facilities is well covered in many other places, this paper highlights new and proposed gamma-ray technologies and facilities that have each been designed to address specific needs in the measurement of extreme astrophysical sources that probe some of the most pressing questions in fundamental physics for the next decade. The proposed instrumentation would also address the priorities laid out in the recent Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics (Astro2020), a complementary study by the astrophysics community that provides opportunities also relevant to Snowmass.

show abstract

Search for decaying eV-mass axion-like particles using gamma-ray signal from blazars

Cited by 19 publications

References 46 publications

The cosmic optical background excess, dark matter, and line-intensity mapping

The cosmic optical background excess, dark matter, and line-intensity mapping

Gamma-Ray Cosmology and Tests of Fundamental Physics

The Future of Gamma-Ray Experiments in the MeV-EeV Range

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About