Constraints on axion-like particles with the Perseus Galaxy Cluster with MAGIC

Abstract

Axion-like particles (ALPs) are pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons that emerge in various theories beyond the standard model. These particles can interact with high-energy photons in external magnetic fields, influencing the observed gamma-ray spectrum. This study analyzes 41.3 hrs of observational data from the Perseus Galaxy Cluster collected with the MAGIC telescopes. We focused on the spectra the radio galaxy in the center of the cluster: NGC 1275. By modeling the magnetic field surrounding this target, we searched for spectral indications of ALP presence. Despite finding no statistical evidence of ALP signatures, we were able to exclude ALP models in the sub-micro electronvolt range. Our analysis improved upon previous work by calculating the full likelihood and statistical coverage for all considered models across the parameter space. Consequently, we achieved the most stringent limits to date for ALP masses around 50 neV, with cross sections down to $g_{a\gamma }=3\times 10^{-12}$ GeV${}^{-1}$.

25 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Physics of the Dark Universe

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Supernova limits on 'QCD axion-like particles'
• Constraints on Axion-like Particles from the gamma-ray observation of the Galactic Center
• Constraints on Axion-Like Particles from VERITAS Observations of a Flaring Radio Galaxy in the Perseus Cluster
• An attempt to study axion-photon coupling using compact binary systems with high Shapiro time delay
• Investigating the light curve variation of magnetic white dwarfs induced by the axion-photon conversion
• Projected sensitivity of CTAO to axion-like particles from blazars with a machine learning approach
• Sensitivity to Axion-like Particle dark matter with very-high-energy gamma-ray observations of Active Galactic Nuclei located behind Galaxy Clusters