IAXO - The International Axion Observatory

TL;DR

IAXO is a next-generation axion helioscope designed to significantly improve sensitivity to axion-photon coupling, utilizing advanced magnet, optics, and detectors to explore axions and ALPs with potential implications for particle physics and astrophysics.

Contribution

IAXO introduces innovative magnet and detection technologies to achieve unprecedented sensitivity in axion searches, surpassing current helioscopes like CAST.

Findings

Projected sensitivity improves by 1-1.5 orders of magnitude over CAST

Utilizes advanced x-ray optics and low-background detectors

Potential to detect axions related to white dwarf cooling and relic particles

Abstract

The International Axion Observatory (IAXO) is a next generation axion helioscope aiming at a sensitivity to the axion-photon coupling of a few 10^{-12} GeV^{-1}, i.e. 1-1.5 orders of magnitude beyond sensitivities achieved by the currently most sensitive axion helioscope, the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST). Crucial factors in improving the sensitivity for IAXO are the increase of the magnetic field volume together with the extensive use of x-ray focusing optics and low background detectors, innovations already successfully tested at CAST. Electron-coupled axions invoked to explain the white dwarf cooling, relic axions, and a large variety of more generic axion-like particles (ALPs) along with other novel excitations at the low-energy frontier of elementary particle physics could provide additional physics motivation for IAXO.