Astrophysical searches of ultralight particles

TL;DR

This paper explores how astrophysical observations can be used to search for ultralight particles like axions and gauge bosons, which are potential dark matter candidates and can provide insights beyond current physics theories.

Contribution

It provides new constraints on ultralight axions and gauge bosons using astrophysical phenomena such as orbital decay, gravitational lensing, and gravitational waves.

Findings

Constraints on ultralight axions from binary systems and gravitational lensing.

Limits on ultralight gauge bosons from gravitational wave data.

Astrophysical observations can test particle physics models beyond the Standard Model.

Abstract

The Standard Model of particle physics is a $SU(3)_c\times SU(2)_L\times U(1)_Y$ gauge theory that can explain the strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions between the particles. The gravitational interaction is described by Einstein's General Relativity theory which is a classical theory of gravity. These theories can explain all the four fundamental forces of nature with great level of accuracy. However, there are several theoretical and experimental motivations of studying physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics and Einstein's General Relativity theory. Probing these new physics scenarios with ultralight particles has its own importance as they can be a promising candidates for dark matter that can evade the constraints from dark matter direct detection experiments and solve the small scale structure problems of the universe. In this paper, we have considered axions and gauge bosons as light particles and their possible searches through astrophysical observations. In particular, we obtain constraints on ultralight axions from orbital period loss of compact binary systems, gravitational light bending, and Shapiro time delay. We also derive constraints on ultralight gauge bosons from indirect evidence of gravitational waves, and perihelion precession of planets. Such type of observations can also constrain several particle physics models and are discussed.