On the origin and the detection of characteristic axion wiggles in photon spectra

Abstract

Photons propagating in an external magnetic field may oscillate into axions or axion-like particles (ALPs). Such oscillations will lead to characteristic features in the energy spectrum of high-energy photons from astrophysical sources that can be used to probe the existence of ALPs. In this work, we revisit the signatures of these oscillations and stress the importance of a proper treatment of turbulent magnetic fields. We implement axions into ELMAG, complementing thereby the usual description of photon-axion oscillations with a Monte Carlo treatment of high-energy photon propagation and interactions. We also propose an alternative method of detecting axions through the discrete power spectrum using as observable the energy dependence of wiggles in the photon spectra.

1+25 pages, 8 figures; v2: clarifications and references added, improved readability of figures, minor changes, version to appear in JCAP

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Towards a model of photon-axion conversion in the host galaxy of GRB 221009A
• Searching for relativistic axions in the sky
• Magnetohydrodynamics predicts heavy-tailed distributions of axion-photon conversion
• Active galactic nuclei through the prism of galaxy clusters: bounds on axion-like particles
• Constraints on Axion-Like Particles from VERITAS Observations of a Flaring Radio Galaxy in the Perseus Cluster
• Axion-like particles and high-energy gamma rays: interconversion revisited
• How do Magnetic Field Models Affect Astrophysical Limits on Light Axion-like Particles? An X-ray Case Study with NGC 1275