SpectrAx: Spectral Search of Axion-Like Particles Using Multi-Band Observations of Galaxy Clusters from SKA, SO, CMB-S4 and eROSITA

TL;DR

SpectrAx is a Bayesian framework that combines multi-band observations of galaxy clusters to simultaneously infer astrophysical properties and probe axion-like particles, enabling new tests of fundamental physics with upcoming surveys.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multi-band Bayesian method to jointly analyze galaxy cluster data for astrophysical and BSM physics insights, particularly axion-like particles.

Findings

Accurately infers ALP coupling strength from simulated data.

Demonstrates capability to extract cluster electron density and magnetic field profiles.

Shows potential for combined survey data to explore fundamental physics.

Abstract

The existence of axions or Axion-Like Particles (ALPs) has been predicted by various Beyond Standard Model (BSM) theories, and the proposed photon-ALP interaction is one of the ways to probe them. Such an interaction will lead to photon-ALP resonant conversion in galaxy clusters, resulting in a polarized spectral distortion in the CMB along the cluster line of sight. The estimation of this signal from galaxy clusters requires an estimation of their electron density and magnetic field profiles, as well as their redshifts. We have developed a new Bayesian framework \texttt{SpectrAx} that can use observations from different electromagnetic bands such as radio, CMB, optical, and X-ray to infer the astrophysical properties of a galaxy cluster, such as cluster its redshift, electron density and magnetic field, along with the BSM physics such as ALPs. We use simulated redshifts in our analysis, but that can be obtained by cross-matching with optical surveys having overlapping sky regions with the galaxy clusters. Also, we use radial profiles that are motivated from observations of galaxy clusters at low redshifts. By using the simulated data corresponding to the ALP mass of $10^{-14}$ eV for upcoming CMB surveys such as Simons Observatory (SO) and CMB-S4 in combination with Square Kilometer Array (SKA) and extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) we demonstrate the capability in accurately inferring the ALPs coupling strength along with the radial profile of electron density and magnetic field from galaxy clusters. The application of this framework to the data from future surveys by combining SKA+SO+eROSITA and SKA+CMB-S4+eROSITA will make it possible for the first time to explore both astrophysics and BSM physics from low-redshift galaxy clusters using a multi-band approach.