arXiv subjects

Shuailiang Ge

Publications and source records attributed to Shuailiang Ge.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Sommerfeld Enhancement from Background Force and the Galactic Center GeV Excess

We study the impact of background-induced forces on dark matter (DM) annihilation and their implications for indirect detection. In the presence of a finite number density of background particles, loop-level interactions can generate an effective force that is significantly enhanced relative to the vacuum case. We construct a two-component DM model in which the dominant component is a fermionic particle $\chi$ and the subdominant component is an ultralight pseudoscalar particle $\phi$. The annihilation of $\chi$ proceeds through the p-wave channel and produces gamma-ray emission. The finite density of $\phi$ particles induces a background-enhanced force between $\chi$ particles, leading to a sizable Sommerfeld enhancement of the annihilation. We show that a viable region of parameter space in this model can account for the gamma-ray excess observed in the Galactic Center using Fermi-LAT data. The background-induced force substantially amplifies the Sommerfeld enhancement and thus enlarges the parameter space capable of explaining the excess, highlighting the importance of background effects in astrophysical environments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Background-Enhanced Axion Force by Axion Dark Matter

We investigate the influence of axion dark matter as a background on the spin-independent axion forces between nucleons. Notably, we find that the potential for axion forces scales from $1/r^3$ in a vacuum-only context to $1/r$ when the background effect is considered. Also, the magnitude of the axion force is substantially amplified in proportion to the number density of axion DM particles. These enhancements significantly improve the constraints on the axion decay constant by several orders of magnitude, across a broad range of axion masses, based on the fifth-force experiments such as the Casimir-less and torsion balance tests. This suggests that such experiments are more effective than previously understood in detecting axions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Berry phase in axion physics, SM global structure, and generalized symmetries

We investigate the Berry phase arising from axion-photon and axion-fermion interactions. The effective Hamiltonians in both systems share the same form, enabling a unified description of the Berry phase and providing a novel perspective on axion experiments. We conceptually propose a new photon-ring experiment for axion detection. Furthermore, we demonstrate that measuring the axion-induced Berry phase offers a unique method for probing the global structure of the Standard Model gauge group and axion-related generalized symmetries.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

In Situ Measurements of Dark Photon Dark Matter Using Parker Solar Probe: Going beyond the Radio Window

Dark photon dark matter (DPDM) emerges as a compelling candidate for ultralight bosonic dark matter, detectable through resonant conversion into photons within a plasma environment. This study employs in-situ measurements from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP), the first spacecraft to venture into the solar corona, to probe for DPDM signatures. The PSP in-situ measurements go beyond the traditional radio window, spanning frequencies between about 10 kHz and 20 MHz, a challenging range inaccessible to Earth-based radio astronomy. Additionally, the proximity of PSP to the resonant conversion location enhances the signal flux, providing a distinct advantage over ground-based observations. As a result, the PSP data establishes the most stringent constraints on the kinetic mixing parameter $\epsilon$ for DPDM frequencies between 70 kHz and 20 MHz, with values of $\epsilon \lesssim 10^{-14}-10^{-13}$. Investigating the data from STEREO satellites resulted in weaker constraints compared to those obtained from PSP. By utilizing state-of-the-art solar observations from space, we have surpassed the cosmic microwave background limits derived from early-universe observations.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Dark Matter-Induced Low-Mass Gap Black Hole Echoing LVK Observations

The recent detection of gravitational waves from a binary merger involving a potential low-mass gap black hole (LMBH) by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration motivates investigations into mechanisms beyond conventional stellar evolution theories to account for their existence. We study a mechanism in which dark matter (DM), through its capture and accumulation inside main sequence stars, induces the formation of black holes within the mass range of $[3, 5]M_\odot$. We examine the distribution of these LMBHs as a function of galaxy halo mass, particularly when paired with neutron stars. This gives a distinct signature that can be tested with future gravitational wave observations. We find that a viable portion of the DM parameter space predicts a merger rate of such binaries consistent with LVK observations.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Direct Detection of Dark Photon Dark Matter with the James Webb Space Telescope

In this study, we propose an investigation into dark photon dark matter (DPDM) within the infrared frequency band, utilizing highly sensitive infrared light detectors commonly integrated into space telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The presence of DPDM induces electron oscillations in both the reflectors and the interior of the detectors. Consequently, these oscillating electrons can emit monochromatic electromagnetic waves with a frequency almost equivalent to the mass of DPDM. By employing the stationary phase approximation, we can demonstrate that when the size of the reflector significantly exceeds the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave, the contribution to the electromagnetic wave field at a given position primarily stems from the surface unit perpendicular to the relative position vector. This simplification results in the reduction of electromagnetic wave calculations to ray optics. Through a careful analysis of photon generation induced by DPDM on the various optical elements of JWST, we find that the contribution of these photons to the detected signal is negligible. Nevertheless, we propose a modified configuration of the JWST mirrors that would enable the DPDM-induced photons to be focused onto the detector. This approach can be applied to future space telescopes during their ground-testing phases. Using the JWST parameters as a representative example, the achievable upper limits on the DPDM-photon mixing constant are $\epsilon\sim 10^{-12}-10^{-14}$ in the frequency range $10-500$~THz at the 95\% confidence level. This reveals the strong potential of future space telescopes for DPDM detection during ground testing, with sensitivities exceeding current limits by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude compared with the XENON1T result and the solar cooling bound.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

New mechanism for primordial black hole formation from the QCD axion

We present a new mechanism for the primordial black hole (PBH) production within the QCD axion framework. We take the case where the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaks during inflation, resulting in a $N_{\rm DW}=1$ string-wall network that re-enters horizon sufficiently late. Therefore, closed axion domain walls naturally arising in the network are sufficiently large to collapse into PBHs. Our numerical simulation shows that $\sim 0.3\%$ of the total wall area is in the form of closed walls. In addition, the relic abundance of dark matter is dominantly accounted for by free axions from the collapse of open walls bounded by strings. In this framework, the abundance of PBH within dark matter is calculated to be $\sim 0.9\%$. This fraction remains unaffected by axion parameters or the re-entering horizon temperature, as it is determined by the fixed proportion of closed walls in the network, governed by the principles of percolation theory. The resultant PBHs uniformly share the same mass, which spans from about $10^{-9}$ to $1$ solar mass, corresponding to the classical QCD axion mass window $10^{-5}-10^{-2}$~eV and the re-entering horizon temperature $300-1$~MeV. Intriguingly, PBHs in this mechanism can naturally account for the ultrashort-timescale gravitational microlensing events observed by the OGLE collaboration.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Stochastic gravitational wave background: birth from string-wall death

We study a new source of stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) from the final collapse of a network of topological defects. Typically, the final collapse is considered negligible for generating gravitational waves (GWs) due to its subdominance compared with the network's long-term evolution in the scaling regime. However, in some cases, a network can be driven outside of horizon by inflation and later re-enter horizon. Then, the network's final collapse after re-entering horizon becomes the dominant GW source and therefore cannot be neglected. We demonstrate this phenomenon in the context of $N_{\rm DW}=1$ string-wall networks which naturally arise in axion models, although the framework can be generalized to other types of topological networks. The final collapse of walls bounded by strings releases GWs. Our calculation of the corresponding GW spectrum suggests it could be related to the first few bins of the nano-Hertz SGWB signal possibly detected by various Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) collaborations. However, it is important to note that such GW spectrum falls within a relatively narrow frequency range, which may not completely account for the PTA signal that spans more than one order of magnitude in frequency. Furthermore, with different parameter choices, the resultant GWs generated in this mechanism could be probed by various GW interferometry experiments.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Gravitational wave sources for Pulsar Timing Arrays

Very recently, several pulsar timing array collaborations, including CPTA, EPTA, and NANOGrav, reported their results from searches for an isotropic stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB), with each finding positive evidence for SGWB. In this work, we assessed the credibility of interpreting the Hellings-Downs correlated free-spectrum process of EPTA, PPTA, and NANOGrav as either the result of supermassive black hole binary mergers or various stochastic SGWB sources that originated in the early Universe, including first-order phase transitions, cosmic strings, domain walls, and large-amplitude curvature perturbations. Our observations show that the current new datasets do not display a strong preference for any specific SGWB source based on Bayesian analysis.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Solar radio emissions and ultralight dark matter

Ultralight axions and dark photons are well-motivated dark matter candidates. Inside the plasma, once the mass of ultralight dark matter candidates equals the plasma frequency, they can resonantly convert into electromagnetic waves, due to the coupling between the ultralight dark matter particles and the standard model photons. The converted electromagnetic waves are monochromatic. In this article, we review the development of using radio detectors to search for ultralight dark matter conversions in the solar corona and solar wind plasma.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Searching for Ultralight Dark Matter Conversion in Solar Corona using Low Frequency Array Data

Ultralight dark photons and axions are well-motivated hypothetical dark matter candidates. Both dark photon dark matter and axion dark matter can resonantly convert into electromagnetic waves in the solar corona when their mass is equal to the solar plasma frequency. The resultant electromagnetic waves appear as monochromatic signals within the radio-frequency range with an energy equal to the dark matter mass, which can be detected via radio telescopes for solar observations. Here we show our search for converted monochromatic signals in the observational data collected by the high-sensitivity Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope and establish an upper limit on the kinetic mixing coupling between dark photon dark matter and photon, which can reach values as low as $10^{-13}$ within the frequency range of $30-80$ MHz. This limit represents an improvement of approximately one order of magnitude better than the existing constraint from the cosmic microwave background observation. Additionally, we derive an upper limit on the axion-photon coupling within the same frequency range, which is better than the constraints from Light-Shining-through-a-Wall experiments while not exceeding the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) experiment or other astrophysical bounds.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Domain Wall Network: A Dual Solution for Gravitational Waves and Hubble Tension?

We explore the possibility that domain wall networks generate the stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) observed as a strong common power-law process in the Data Release-2 of Parkes Pulsar Timing Array. We find that a broad range of parameters, specifically wall tension around $\sigma_{\textrm{DW}} \sim (29-414 , \textrm{TeV})^3$ and wall-decay temperature within $T_d \sim 20-257 , \textrm{MeV}$, can explain this phenomenon at a $68\%$ credible level. Meanwhile, the same parameters could ease the Hubble tension if particles from these domain wall networks decay into dark radiation. We establish a direct analytical relationship, $\Omega_{\textrm{GW}}(f_p,T_0) h^2 \sim \Omega_{\textrm{rad}} h^2 ( \Omega_\nu \Delta N_{\textrm{eff}})^2$, to illustrate this coincidence, underlining its importance in the underlying physics and potential applicability to a wider range of models and data. Conversely, if the common power-law process is not attributed to domain wall networks, our findings impose tight limits on the wall tension and decay temperature.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Direct detection of dark photon dark matter using radio telescopes

Dark photons can be the ultralight dark matter candidate, interacting with Standard Model particles via kinetic mixing. We propose to search for ultralight dark photon dark matter (DPDM) through the local absorption at different radio telescopes. The local DPDM can induce harmonic oscillations of electrons inside the antenna of radio telescopes. It leads to a monochromatic radio signal and can be recorded by telescope receivers. Using the observation data from the FAST telescope, the upper limit on the kinetic mixing can already reach $10^{-12}$ for DPDM oscillation frequencies at $1-1.5$ GHz, which is stronger than the cosmic microwave background constraint by about one order of magnitude. Furthermore, large-scale interferometric arrays like LOFAR and SKA1 telescopes can achieve extraordinary sensitivities for direct DPDM search from 10 MHz to 10 GHz.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Radio impulsive events in quiet solar corona and Axion Quark Nugget Dark Matter

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) recorded \cite{Mondal-2020} impulsive radio events in the quiet solar corona at frequencies 98, 120, 132, and 160 MHz. We propose that these radio events are the direct manifestation of dark matter annihilation events within the axion quark nugget (AQN) framework. It has been argued \cite{Zhitnitsky:2017rop,Raza:2018gpb} that the AQN annihilation events in the quiet solar corona can be identified with the nanoflares conjectured by Parker \cite{Parker-1983}. We further support this claim by demonstrating that observed impulsive radio events \cite{Mondal-2020}, including their rate of appearance, their temporal and spatial distributions and their energetics, are matching the generic consequences of AQN annihilations in the quiet corona. We propose to test this idea by analyzing the correlated clustering of impulsive radio events in different frequency bands. These correlations are expressed in terms of the time delays between radio events in different frequency bands, measured in seconds. We also make generic predictions for low (80 and 89 MHz) and high (179, 196, 217 and 240 MHz) frequency bands, that have been recorded, but not published, by \cite{Mondal-2020}. We finally suggest to test our proposal by studying possible cross-correlation between MWA radio signals and Solar Orbiter recording of extreme UV photons (a.k.a. "campfires").

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

X-ray annual modulation observed by XMM-Newton and Axion Quark Nugget Dark Matter

The XMM-Newton observatory shows evidence, with a 11$\sigma$ confidence level, for seasonal variation of the X-ray background in the near-Earth environment in the 2-6 keV energy range (Fraser et al. 2014). The authors argue that the observed seasonal variation suggests a possible link with dark matter. We propose an explanation which involves the Axion Quark Nugget (AQN) dark matter model. In our proposal, AQNs can cross the Earth and emit high energy photons at their exit. We show that the emitted spectrum is consistent with (Fraser et al. 2014), and that our calculation is not sensitive to the specific details of the model. Our proposal predicts a large seasonal variation, on the level of 20-25%, much larger than conventional dark matter models (1-10%). Since the AQN emission spectrum extends up to $\sim $ 100 keV, well beyond the keV sensitivity of XMM-Newton, we predict the AQN contribution to the hard X-ray and $\gamma$-ray backgrounds in the Earth's environment. The Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) instrument, aboard the FERMI telescope, is sensitive to the 8 keV-40 MeV energy band. The NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) is a NASA space based X ray telescope which operates in the range 3 to 79 keV is also sensitive to higher energy bands. We suggest that the multi-year archival data from the GBM or NuSTAR could be used to search for a seasonal variation in the near-Earth environment up to 100 keV as a future test of the AQN framework.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Sublunar-Mass Primordial Black Holes from Closed Axion Domain Walls

We study the formation of primordial black holes (PBHs) from the collapse of closed domain walls (DWs) which naturally arise in QCD axion models near the QCD scale together with the main string-wall network. The size distribution of the closed DWs is determined by percolation theory, from which we further obtain PBH mass distribution and abundance. Various observational constraints on PBH abundance in turn also constrain axion parameters. Our model prefers axion mass around the meV scale ($f_{a}\sim 10^{9}$ GeV). The corresponding PBHs are in the sublunar-mass window $10^{20}$-$10^{22}$ g (i.e., $10^{-13}$-$10^{-11}M_{\odot}$), one of few mass windows still available for PBHs contributing significantly to dark matter (DM). In our model, PBH abundance could reach $\sim1\%$ or even more of DM, sensitive to the formation efficiency of closed axion DWs.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

The Axion Quark Nugget Dark Matter Model: Size Distribution and Survival Pattern

We consider the formation and evolution of Axion Quark Nugget dark matter particles in the early universe. The goal of this work is to estimate the mass distribution of these objects and assess their ability to form and survive to the present day. We argue that this model allows a broad range of parameter space in which the AQN may account for the observed dark matter mass density, naturally explains a similarity between the "dark" and "visible" components, i.e. $Ω_{\rm dark}\sim Ω_{\rm visible}$, and also offer an explanation for a number of other long standing puzzles such as "Primordial Lithium Puzzle" and "the Solar Corona Mystery" among many other cosmological puzzles.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Cosmological Axion and Quark Nugget Dark Matter Model

We study a dark matter (DM) model offering a very natural explanation of two (naively unrelated) problems in cosmology: the observed relation $Ω_{\rm DM}\simΩ_{\rm visible}$ and the observed asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the Universe, known as the "baryogenesis" problem. In this framework, both types of matter (dark and visible) have the same QCD origin, form at the same QCD epoch, and both proportional to one and the same dimensional parameter of the system, $Λ_{\rm QCD}$, which explains how these two, naively distinct, problems could be intimately related, and could be solved simultaneously within the same framework. More specifically, the DM in this model is composed by two different ingredients: the (well- studied) DM axions and (less-studied) the quark nuggets made of matter or antimatter. The focus of the present work is the quantitative analysis of the relation between these two distinct components contributing to the dark sector of the theory determined by $Ω_{\rm DM}\equiv [Ω_{\rm DM}(\rm nuggets)+ Ω_{\rm DM}(\rm axion)]$. We argue that the nugget's DM component always traces the visible matter density, i.e. $Ω_{\rm DM}(\rm nuggets)\simΩ_{\rm visible}$ and this feature is not sensitive to the parameters of the system such as the axion mass $m_a$ or the misalignment angle $θ_0$. It should be contrasted with conventional axion production mechanism due to the misalignment when $Ω_{\rm DM}(\rm axion)$ is highly sensitive to the axion mass $m_a$ and the initial misalignment angle $θ_0$. We also discuss the constraints on this model related to the inflationary scale $H_I$, non-observation of the isocurvature perturbations, $r_T < 0.12$, and also, varies axions search experiments.

hep-ph↗