Search for axion-like particles using a variable baseline photon regeneration technique

TL;DR

This paper presents the first results from the GammeV experiment, which searches for axion-like particles using a variable baseline photon regeneration technique, setting new limits on their two-photon couplings.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel variable baseline photon regeneration method to search for axion-like particles, providing new experimental constraints.

Findings

No excess events observed above background.

Constraints on axion-like particle couplings are set at less than 3.1x10^{-7} GeV^{-1}.

Limits are established for massless scalar and pseudoscalar particles.

Abstract

We report the first results of the GammeV experiment, a search for milli-eV mass particles with axion-like couplings to two photons. The search is performed using a "light shining through a wall" technique where incident photons oscillate into new weakly interacting particles that are able to pass through the wall and subsequently regenerate back into detectable photons. The oscillation baseline of the apparatus is variable, thus allowing probes of different values of particle mass. We find no excess of events above background and are able to constrain the two-photon couplings of possible new scalar (pseudoscalar) particles to be less than 3.1x10^{-7} GeV^{-1} (3.5x10^{-7} GeV^{-1}) in the limit of massless particles.