论文标题
使用Meerkat射电望远镜搜索Axion暗物质
Searching for axion dark matter with MeerKAT Radio Telescope
论文作者
论文摘要
轴上提供了天然动机的候选暗物质，并且在存在电磁场的情况下可以直接转换为光子。一个特别引人注目的观察目标是将暗物质轴的转化为高度磁化中子恒星的磁层中的光子，该恒星预计会产生以轴突质量频率为中心的狭窄光谱峰。我们将Meerkat射电望远镜指向孤立的中子星J0806.4 $ - $ 4123，$ 10 $ - 小时观察，并在频率范围内获得$ 769 $ - $ 1051 $ MHz的无线电光谱。通过建模插入轴线暗物质（DM）的转换过程，我们将这些光谱与给定选择轴突参数选择的理论期望进行了比较。尽管数据中没有找到高于$5σ$的信号，但我们对轴DM的原始耦合提供了独特的约束，$ g _ {{{\ rm a}γγγ} \ Lessim 9.3 \ times 10^{ - 12} { - 12}} $ 3.18 $ - $ 4.35 \，μ$ ev。该结果在轴质量范围内最大的限制$ 4.20 $ - $ 4.35 \，μ$ ev。
Axions provide a natural and well-motivated dark matter candidate, with the capability to convert directly to photons in the presence of an electromagnetic field. A particularly compelling observational target is the conversion of dark matter axions into photons in the magnetospheres of highly magnetised neutron stars, which is expected to produce a narrow spectral peak centred at the frequency of the axion mass. We point the MeerKAT radio telescope towards the isolated neutron star J0806.4$-$4123 for $10$-hours of observation and obtain the radio spectra in the frequency range $769$-$1051$ MHz. By modelling the conversion process of infalling axion dark matter (DM), we then compare these spectra to theoretical expectations for a given choice of axion parameters. Whilst finding no signal above $5σ$ in the data, we provide a unique constraint on the Primakoff coupling of axion DM, $g_{{\rm a}γγ}\lesssim 9.3 \times 10^{-12}\,{\rm GeV}^{-1}$ at the $95\%$ confidence level, in the mass range $3.18$-$4.35\,μ$eV. This result serves the strongest constraint in the axion mass range $4.20$-$4.35\,μ$eV.
