Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: We point out that stars in the mass window $\ensuremath{\sim}8--12{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ can serve as sensitive probes of the axion-photon interaction, ${g}_{A\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}}$. Specifically, for these stars axion energy losses from the helium-burning core would shorten and eventually eliminate the blue loop phase of the evolution. This would contradict observational data, since the blue loops are required, e.g., to account for the existence of Cepheid stars. Using the MESA stellar evolution code, modified to include the extra cooling, we conservatively find ${g}_{A\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{GeV}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, which compares favorably with the existing bounds.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: Alexander Friedland, Maurizio Giannotti, Michael Wise
Institutions: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Barry University
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy
OpenAlex ID: W2152458035