The search for dark matter axions from neutron stars in the inner parsecs of the Milky Way with AtLAST

TL;DR

This paper proposes using the magnetospheres of neutron stars near the Galactic Center as a unique environment to detect dark matter axions by observing their resonant conversion into photons, requiring advanced submillimetre telescopes.

Contribution

It highlights the potential of the AtLAST observatory to explore axion-photon conversion in a novel astrophysical setting with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution.

Findings

Neutron star magnetospheres are ideal for axion detection.

High dark matter density enhances conversion signals.

Submillimetre observations can probe new axion parameter space.

Abstract

The magnetospheres of neutron stars in the Galactic Center provide an exceptional environment to search for dark matter axions through their resonant conversion into photons. The combination of extreme magnetic fields and high dark matter density in this region creates ideal conditions for axion-photon conversion across the centimetre-to-submillimetre wavelength range. Detecting the cumulative emission from these neutron star populations demands a facility with unprecedented sensitivity, spatial resolution, and broad frequency coverage in the submillimetre domain, capabilities essential to explore a previously inaccessible region of axion parameter space.