Spectroscopic Constraints on (pseudo-)Scalar Particles from Compact Astrophysical Objects

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel spectroscopic method to detect light (pseudo-)scalar particles, like axions, by observing absorption features in the spectra of magnetized compact astrophysical objects, leveraging their intense magnetic fields.

Contribution

It proposes a new observational technique using spectra of astrophysical objects to constrain properties of light scalar particles, focusing on photon-particle oscillations in strong magnetic fields.

Findings

Detection of potential absorption features in spectra due to photon-particle oscillations.

Constraints on axion-like particle coupling constants based on astrophysical observations.

Feasibility of using magnetar and pulsar spectra to search for light scalar particles.

Abstract

We propose a new method to search for light (pseudo-)scalar particles in the spectra of compact astrophysical objects such as magnetars, pulsars, and quasars. On accounts of compact astrophysical objects having intense magnetic fields extending over large volumes, they provide good conditions for efficient photon-particle oscillations via the Primakoff process. In particular, we show that if the coupling constant for light (<1e-2 eV) axions, g>1e-13 [1/GeV] then it is likely that absorption-like features would be detectable in the spectrum of compact astrophysical sources.