Dynamic solar Primakoff process

TL;DR

This paper introduces a dynamic approach to the solar Primakoff process using linear response theory, revealing that collective electron effects dominate over ions, slightly adjusting the predicted axion flux.

Contribution

It provides the first dynamic description of the solar Primakoff process, highlighting the importance of collective electron effects over ions in axion production.

Findings

Collective electrons dominate over ions in photon-axion conversion.

Axion flux is only 1-2% lower than static estimates.

Dynamic effects slightly modify the standard Primakoff rate.

Abstract

The Primakoff mechanism is one of the primary channels for the production of solar axion. In canonical estimation of the Primakoff photon-axion conversion rate, the recoil effect is neglected and a static structure factor is adopted. By use of the linear response theory, we provide a dynamic description of the solar Primakoff process. It is found that the collective electrons overtake ions as the dominant factor, in contrast to the static screening picture where ions contribute more to the photon-axion conversion. Nonetheless, the resulting axion flux is only 1-2% lower than the standard estimate based on the static structure factor.