Axion-Like Particle Dark Matter Intensity Mapping: A New Probe via Cross-Correlation with Galaxy Surveys

Abstract

The particle nature of dark matter (DM) remains one of the most significant enigmas in modern cosmology. Axion-like particles (ALPs), as well-motivated candidates for cold dark matter, can undergo radiative decay into photon pairs, a process that is significantly enhanced in the presence of ambient radiation fields. In this work, we propose a novel probe of $\mu \mathrm{eV}$-scale ALP DM by cross-correlating radio intensity mapping (IM) with the large-scale galaxy distribution from the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS) in the local universe ($z\le 0.1$). We develop a comprehensive theoretical framework that incorporates stimulated decay effects driven by both the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and a bottom-up modeled extragalactic radio background (ERB). By forecasting the sensitivity of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Phase 2, we demonstrate that this cross-correlation technique provides a promising and complementary approach to searching for ALP DM signals. This study establishes a new proof-of-concept for utilizing next-generation radio telescopes to probe ALP dark matter on cosmic scales.

9 pages, 5 figures, two tables. Accepted for publication in PLB

References in corpus (8)

• A Highly Consistent Framework for the Evolution of the Star-Forming "Main Sequence" from z~0-6
• LOFAR/H-ATLAS: The low-frequency radio luminosity - star-formation rate relation
• Extraterrestrial Axion Search with the Breakthrough Listen Galactic Center Survey
• Angular power spectrum of galaxies in the 2MASS Redshift Survey
• Power spectrum tomography of dark matter annihilation with local galaxy distribution
• The Second Radio Synchrotron Background Workshop: Conference Summary and Report
• Searching for the possible signal of the photon-axionlike particle oscillation in the combined GeV and TeV spectra of supernova remnants
• Constraining Axion-Like Particles Dark Matter in Coma Berenices with FAST