arXiv · 1009.5714
New constraints for heavy axion-like particles from supernovae
Abstract
We derive new constraints on the coupling of heavy pseudoscalar (axion-like) particles to photons, based on the gamma ray flux expected from the decay of these particles into photons. After being produced in the supernova core, these heavy axion-like particles would escape and a fraction of them would decay into photons before reaching the Earth. We have calculated the expected flux on Earth of these photons from the supernovae SN 1987A and Cassiopeia A and compared our results to data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. This analysis provides strong constraints on the parameter space for axion-like particles. For a particle mass of 100 MeV, we find that the Peccei-Quinn constant, f_a, must be greater than about 10^{15} GeV. Alternatively, for fa=10^{12} GeV, we exclude the mass region between approximately 100 eV and 1 GeV.
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Maurizio Giannotti, Leanne D. Duffy, Rafaela Nita. 2010-09-28. New constraints for heavy axion-like particles from supernovae. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516%2F2011%2F01%2F015
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