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arXiv · 1707.00176

Projected bounds on ALPs from Athena

Joseph P. Conlon·Francesca Day·Nicholas Jennings·Sven Krippendorf·Francesco Muia
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Abstract

Galaxy clusters represent excellent laboratories to search for Axion-Like Particles (ALPs). They contain magnetic fields which can induce quasi-sinusoidal oscillations in the X-ray spectra of AGNs situated in or behind them. Due to its excellent energy resolution, the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) instrument onboard the Athena X-ray Observatory will be far more sensitive to ALP-induced modulations than current detectors. As a first analysis of the sensitivity of Athena to the ALP-photon coupling $g_{a \gamma \gamma}$, we simulate observations of the Seyfert galaxy NGC1275 in the Perseus cluster using the SIXTE simulation software. We estimate that for a 200ks exposure, a non-observation of spectral modulations will constrain ${g_{a\gamma\gamma}\lesssim1.5\times10^{-13}\rm{GeV}^{-1}}$ for $m_a \lesssim 10^{-12} \rm{eV}$, representing an order of magnitude improvement over constraints derived using the current generation of satellites.

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Joseph P. Conlon, Francesca Day, Nicholas Jennings, Sven Krippendorf, Francesco Muia. 2017-07-01. Projected bounds on ALPs from Athena. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstx2652

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