The MeerKAT Thousand-Pulsar Polarisation Array II: Searches for Ultralight Axion-Like Dark Matter

Abstract

We construct Pulsar Polarisation Arrays (PPA), using regular pulsars monitored in MeerKAT's Thousand Pulsar Array (TPA) Programme, to search for Axion-like Dark Matter (ALDM) within Milky Way. Specifically, from a catalogue of 1237 regular pulsars, we select the 50 ones with the highest signal-to-noise ratio and set upper limits on the ALDM Chern-Simons coupling. We find no signals with statistical significance over the mass range of $[10^{-23},10^{-20}]\mathrm{eV}$ in the six-year MeerKAT's data. By combining the high-quality TPA pulsars and the accurate ionospheric subtraction of spinifex, we establish the most sensitive upper limits to the date on the ALDM Chern-Simons coupling, namely $\lesssim 10^{-14}-3\times 10^{-13}{\mathrm{GeV}}^{-1}$, for the mass range of $[10^{-23},10^{-21}]\mathrm{eV}$ except at $m_a\sim 1.3\times 10^{-22}$eV. This study underscores the great potential of constructing regular-pulsar PPAs for scientific tasks.

14 pages in total, 9 figures