arXiv subjects

Francesca Lecce

Publications and source records attributed to Francesca Lecce.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The COSMIC WISPers White Paper: The physics case for Weakly Interacting Slim Particles

Axions and other very weakly interacting slim particles (WISPs), with masses below 1 GeV, arise naturally in many extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics. In particular, they could offer a new framework to explain the nature of dark matter and may help address a range of puzzling observations in astrophysics and particle physics. This review provides an overview of ongoing WISP searches and outlines the prospects for the next decade, spanning their theoretical motivation, indirect signatures in astrophysical observations, and dedicated laboratory experiments. It is based on the work carried on by the EU-funded COST Action ``Cosmic WISPers in the Dark Universe: Theory, astrophysics, and experiments'' (CA21106, https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA21106). This network plays a key role in coordinating and supporting WISP searches across Europe, while also contributing to the development of a roadmap aimed at securing European leadership in this research area. It is emphasized that Europe is currently pursuing a rich, diverse, and cost-effective experimental program, with the potential to deliver one or more transformative discoveries.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Detecting light axions from supernovae in nearby galaxies

Axion-like particles (ALPs) coupled to nucleons can be efficiently produced in core-collapse supernovae (SNe) and then, if they couple to photons, convert into gamma rays in cosmic magnetic fields, generating short gamma-ray bursts. Though ALPs from a Galactic SN would induce an intense and easily detectable gamma-ray signal, such events are exceedingly rare. In contrast, a few SNe per year are expected in nearby galaxies within $\mathcal{O}(10)$ Mpc, where strong magnetic fields can enable more efficient ALP-photon conversions than in the Milky Way, offering a promising extragalactic target. This circumstance motivates full-sky gamma-ray monitoring, ideally combined with deci-hertz gravitational-wave detectors to enable time-triggered searches from nearby galaxies. We show that, under realistic conditions, a decade of coverage could reach sensitivities to ALP-photon coupling $g_{a \gamma} \gtrsim 10^{-16} \rm{GeV}^{-1}$ for ALP masses $m_a \lesssim 10^{-9} $ eV and assuming an ALP-nucleon coupling close to SN 1987A cooling bound. This sensitivity would allow one to probe a large, currently-unexplored region of the parameter space below the longstanding SN 1987A bound.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Probing axion-like particles with multimessenger observations of neutron star mergers

Axion-like particles (ALPs) can be copiously produced in binary neutron star (BNS) mergers through nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung if the ALP-nucleon couplings $g_{a N}$ are sizable. The ALP-photon coupling $g_{a\gamma}$ may trigger conversions of ultralight ALPs into photons in the magnetic fields of the merger remnant and of the Milky Way. This effect would lead to a potentially observable short gamma-ray signal, in coincidence with the gravitational-wave signal produced during the merging process. This event could be detected through multi-messenger observation of BNS mergers employing the synergy between gravitational-wave detectors and gamma-ray telescopes. Here, we study the sensitivity of current and proposed MeV gamma-ray experiments to detect such a signal. As an explicit example, we consider ALP couplings related as in the Kim-Shifman-Vainshtein-Zakharov (KSVZ) axion model, and show that in this case the proposed instruments can reach a sensitivity down to $g_{a\gamma}\gtrsim \textrm{few} \times 10^{-13}\,\text{GeV}^{-1}$ for $m_a \lesssim 10^{-9}$ eV, comparable with the SN 1987A limit.

hep-ph↗