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arXiv · 2407.14704

Reactor-based Search for Axion-Like Particles using CsI(Tl) Detector

S. Sahoo·S. Verma·M. Mirzakhani·N. Mishra·A. Thompson·S. Maludze·R. Mahapatra·M. Platt
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Abstract

The absence of conclusive signals in weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) searches has motivated increased interest in alternative dark matter candidates such as axions and axion-like particles (ALPs), which also provide a solution to the strong CP problem. In this work, we employ a $\sim100~\mathrm{kg}$ scale CsI(Tl)-based detector operated in proximity to a nuclear reactor to achieve a sub-100 DRU (differential rate unit, expressed in counts/keV/kg/day) background level in the MeV energy range through a combination of active veto and passive shielding techniques. Such a low-background environment enables sensitivity to ALPs with axion--photon coupling $g_{a\gamma\gamma} \gtrsim 10^{-6}$ and axion--electron coupling in the range $10^{-8} < g_{aee} < 10^{-4}$ for ALP masses between 1~keV and 10~MeV. These results demonstrate that the experiment has the potential to probe previously unexplored regions of parameter space, including the so-called cosmological triangle in the ALP--photon coupling for MeV-scale ALPs.

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S. Sahoo, S. Verma, M. Mirzakhani, N. Mishra, A. Thompson, S. Maludze, R. Mahapatra, M. Platt. 2024-07-19. Reactor-based Search for Axion-Like Particles using CsI(Tl) Detector. https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.14704

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