# Extending the constraint for axion-like particles as resonances at the LHC and laser beam experiments

## TL;DR

This paper explores the potential to detect axion-like particles (ALPs) across a wide mass range using novel collider modes at the LHC and laser experiments, focusing on their electromagnetic couplings and light-by-light scattering effects.

## Contribution

It introduces new methods and collision modes at the LHC and laser experiments to extend the search for ALPs beyond previous constraints, covering a broad mass spectrum.

## Key findings

- ALPs can be probed via light-by-light scattering in ultra-peripheral collisions.
- Non-standard LHC collision modes expand the accessible parameter space.
- Laser experiments can detect ALPs through resonant deviations in refractive index.

## Abstract

We study the discovery potential of axion-like particles (ALP), pseudo-scalars weakly coupled to Standard Model fields, at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Our focus is on ALPs coupled to the electromagnetic field, which would induce anomalous scattering of light-by-light. This can be directly probed in central exclusive production of photon pairs in ultra-peripheral collisions at the LHC in proton and heavy ion collisions. We consider non-standard collision modes of the LHC, such as argon-argon collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 7$ TeV and proton-lead collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 8.16$ TeV to access regions in the parameter space complementary to the ones previously considered for lead-lead or proton-proton collisions. In addition, we show that, using laser beam interactions, we can constrain ALPs as resonant deviations in the refractive index, induced by anomalous light-by-light scattering effects. If we combine the aforementioned approaches, ALPs can be probed in a wide range of masses from the eV scale up to the TeV scale.