Effects of Axion-Photon Mixing on Gamma-Ray Spectra from Magnetized Astrophysical Sources

TL;DR

This paper investigates how axion-photon mixing in magnetic fields of astrophysical gamma-ray sources can significantly alter observed spectra, potentially revealing axion properties at energies from keV to TeV.

Contribution

It provides general conditions under which axion-photon mixing affects gamma-ray spectra, including resonance effects and the impact of magnetic field properties.

Findings

Axion-photon mixing can cause detectable spectral features in gamma-ray sources.

Resonances between axion mass, plasma frequency, and vacuum effects can induce strong spectral modifications.

Effects are possible at energies from keV to TeV with couplings allowed by current constraints.

Abstract

Astrophysical gamma-ray sources come in a variety of sizes and magnetizations. We deduce general conditions under which gamma-ray spectra from such sources would be significantly affected by axion-photon mixing. We show that, depending on strength and coherence of the magnetic field, axion couplings down to ~ 1/(10**13 GeV) can give rise to significant axion-photon conversions in the environment of accreting massive black holes. Resonances can occur between the axion mass term and the plasma frequency term as well as between the plasma frequency term and the vacuum Cotton-Mouton shift. Both resonances and non-resonant transitions could induce detectable features or even strong suppressions in finite energy intervals of gamma-ray spectra from active galactic nuclei. Such effects can occur at keV to TeV energies for couplings that are currently allowed by all experimental constraints.