1,720,976 research outputs found
Revisiting the SN1987A gamma-ray limit on ultralight axion-like particles
Full text linkpeer reviewedWe revise the bound from the supernova SN1987A on the coupling of ultralight axion-like particles (ALPs) to photons. In a core-collapse supernova, ALPs would be emitted via the Primakoff process, and eventually convert into gamma rays in the magnetic field of the Milky Way. The lack of a gamma-ray signal in the GRS instrument of the SMM satellite in coincidence with the observation of the neutrinos emitted from SN1987A therefore provides a strong bound on their coupling to photons. Due to the large uncertainty associated with the current bound, we revise this argument, based on state-of-the-art physical inputs both for the supernova models and for the Milky-Way magnetic field. Furthermore, we provide major amendments, such as the consistent treatment of nucleon-degeneracy effects and of the reduction of the nuclear masses in the hot and dense nuclear medium of the supernova. With these improvements, we obtain a new upper limit on the photon-ALP coupling: g_{a\gamma} < 5.3 x 10^{-12} GeV^{-1}, for m_a < 4.4 x 10^{-10} eV, and we also give its dependence at larger ALP masses. Moreover, we discuss how much the Fermi-LAT satellite experiment could improve this bound, should a close-enough supernova explode in the near future
Probing axions with the neutrino signal from the next Galactic supernova
No full textWe study the impact of axion emission in simulations of massive star explosions, as an additional source of energy loss complementary to the standard neutrino emission. The inclusion of this channel shortens the cooling time of the nascent protoneutron star and hence the duration of the neutrino signal. We treat the axion-matter coupling strength as a free parameter to study its impact on the protoneutron star evolution as well as on the neutrino signal. We furthermore analyze the observability of the enhanced cooling in current and next-generation underground neutrino detectors, showing that values of the axion mass eV can be probed. Therefore a galactic supernova neutrino observation would provide a valuable possibility to probe axion masses in a range within reach of the planned helioscope experiment the International Axion Observatory (IAXO)
Constraining ALPs with linear and circular polarisation measurements of quasar light
Full text linkWe discuss the constraints derived on the mixing of photons with light pseudoscalars using the distributions of good-quality linear and circular polarisation measurements of light from the least polarised classes of quasars. We also provide the dependence of our limit on the average electron density in the local supercluster for nearly massless particles
Axion-like particles in the sky
No full textI will discuss the astrophysical case for nearly massless ALPs, presenting both hints and constraints
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Axions and polarisation of quasars
Full text linkSuite à l’observation de la polarisation de la lumière provenant de quasars, une tendance à l’alignement des vecteurs de polarisation de ces lointains objets fut détectée dans certaines régions du ciel, celle-ci restant inexplicable par des effets locaux et semblant mettre en évidence l’existence de corrélations à très grande échelle, sur des distances cosmologiques.
L’objet de ce travail, qui s’inscrit à l’interface entre la physique des particules et l’astrophysique, sera de se pencher sur ce problème et de déterminer dans quelle mesure l’existence d’un certain type de particules encore hypothétiques, nommées axions, pourrait permettre de rendre compte de ce phénomène ; les propriétés prédites pour celles-ci incluant un couplage (faible, mais les distances entrant en jeu étant très grandes, les effets de ce couplage pourraient malgré tout être observables) avec la lumière
Axion-like particles in astrophysics: an introduction to the phenomenology of their electromagnetic coupling
No full textCornering the axionlike particle explanation of quasar polarizations
Full text linkpeer reviewedIn a series of papers, it has been shown that the distribution of polarization position angles for visible light from quasars is not random in extremely large regions of the sky. As explained in a recent article, the measurement of vanishing circular polarization for such quasars is an important problem for a mechanism involving the mixing with axionlike particles in external magnetic fields. In this paper, we stress that a recent report of similar coherent orientations of polarization in radio waves further disfavors the need for such particles, as an effect at these wavelengths would be extremely suppressed or would directly contradict data
Axions et polarisation des quasars
Full text linkJe présente rapidement l'objet de mes recherches et tente ensuite l'exercice consistant à exposer - le plus clairement possible - les idées et considérations physiques ayant amené à la proposition de l'existence de l'axion
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