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arXiv · 2605.31024

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

Zi-Yan Yuwen·Michael Sarkis·Yin-Zhe Ma·Tao Liu·Jing Ren·Patrick Weltevrede·Xiao Xue
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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 $[10^{-23},10^{-20}]\,{\rm eV}$ 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 $\lesssim 10^{-14} - 3\times 10^{-13}\,{\rm GeV}^{-1}$, for the mass range of $[10^{-23},10^{-21}]\,{\rm eV}$ 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.

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Zi-Yan Yuwen, Michael Sarkis, Yin-Zhe Ma, Tao Liu, Jing Ren, Patrick Weltevrede, Xiao Xue. 2026-05-29. The MeerKAT Thousand-Pulsar Polarisation Array II: Searches for Ultralight Axion-Like Dark Matter. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.31024

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