A new upper limit on the axion-photon coupling with an extended CAST run with a Xe-based Micromegas detector
Abstract
Hypothetical axions provide a compelling explanation for dark matter and could be emitted from the hot solar interior. The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) has been searching for solar axions via their back conversion to X-ray photons in a 9-T 10-m long magnet directed towards the Sun. We report on an extended run with the IAXO (International Axion Observatory) pathfinder detector, doubling the previous exposure time. The detector was operated with a xenon-based gas mixture for part of the new run, providing technical insights for future detector configurations in IAXO. No counts are detected in the 95% signal-encircling region during the new run, while 0.75 are expected. The new data improve the axion-photon coupling limit to 5.8GeV at 95% C.L. (for eV), the most restrictive experimental limit to date.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2406.16840,
title = {A new upper limit on the axion-photon coupling with an extended CAST run with a Xe-based Micromegas detector},
author = {CAST Collaboration and K. Altenmüller and V. Anastassopoulos and S. Arguedas-Cuendis and S. Aune and J. Baier and K. Barth and H. Bräuninger and G. Cantatore and F. Caspers and J. F. Castel and S. A. Çetin and F. Christensen and C. Cogollos and T. Dafni and M. Davenport and T. A. Decker and K. Desch and D. Díez-Ibáñez and B. Döbrich and E. Ferrer-Ribas and H. Fischer and W. Funk and J. Galán and J. A. García and A. Gardikiotis and I. Giomataris and J. Golm and C. H. Hailey and M. D. Hasinoff and D. H. H. Hoffmann and I. G. Irastorza and J. Jacoby and A. C. Jakobsen and K. Jakovčić and J. Kaminski and M. Karuza and S. Kostoglou and C. Krieger and B. Lakić and J. M. Laurent and G. Luzón and C. Malbrunot and C. Margalejo and M. Maroudas and L. Miceli and H. Mirallas and P. Navarro and L. Obis and A. Özbey and K. Özbozduman and T. Papaevangelou and O. Pérez and M. J. Pivovaroff and M. Rosu and E. Ruiz-Chóliz and J. Ruz and S. Schmidt and M. Schumann and Y. K. Semertzidis and S. K. Solanki and L. Stewart and T. Vafeiadis and J. K. Vogel and K. Zioutas},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2406.16840},
year = {2024}
}
Comments
9 pages, 4 figures (plus 8 pages, 10 figures of supplemental material) Corresponding authors: C. Margalejo ([email protected]) and J. Ruz ([email protected])