arXiv subjects

Topi Sirkiä

Publications and source records attributed to Topi Sirkiä.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Landau-Zener formula and resonant axion conversion in neutron star magnetospheres

We investigate the Landau-Zener description of resonant axion-photon conversion in neutron star magnetospheres. We find that this picture often fails for axion conversions to millimeter-to-optical band photons due to the characteristic resonance width exceeding the size of the conversion region. This comparison of scales yields a simple criterion for evaluating the validity of the Landau-Zener formula. We verify this criterion numerically, and show that when invalid, the Landau-Zener conversion probability may significantly deviate from the numerical result. In light of these findings, we revise constraints on axions from neutron star optical-band polarization searches.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Axion Superradiance in Dipole Magnetic Fields of Pulsars

We consider constraints on the axion-photon coupling by superradiance due to a plasma instability in the magnetospheres of millisecond pulsars. We compute the growth rate of a superradiant axion cloud in a dipole magnetic field, and give a semi-analytical formula for the superradiance rate for the lowest state. By requiring the associated instability time to be longer than the characteristic age of the supermassive black-widow millisecond pulsar PSR J0952-0607, we examine the pulsar-timing array constraints on axions of mass $\sim 10^{-12}\text{ eV}$. We find that competitive axion bounds from plasma instabilities are unlikely unless a new high spin pulsar is discovered.

hep-ph↗