Search

We find that the adiabatic fluctuations produced in the primordial plasma by cosmological inflation resonantly excite the axion field during the QCD phase transition by pumping axions from low momentum modes to modes with momentum up to of order $\sqrt{3} m$ where $m$ is the axion mass. We derive the momentum distribution of the excited axions. The fraction of cold axions that get excited is of order one if the axion mass is larger than a few $\mu$eV. The effect occurs whether inflation happens before or after the Peccei-Quinn phase transition., Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures. A few typographical errors were corrected. Version to appear in Physical Review D

In the late 1970's, the axion was proposed as a solution to the Strong CP Problem, i.e. the puzzle why the strong interactions conserve parity P and the product CP of charge conjugation and parity in spite of the fact that the Standard Model of elementary particles as a whole violates those symmetries. The original axion was soon ruled out by laboratory experiments and astrophysical considerations, but a new version was invented which is much more weakly coupled and which evades the laboratory and astrophysical constraints. It was dubbed the invisible" axion. However, the axion cannot be arbitrarily weakly coupled because it is overproduced in the early universe by vacuum realignment in the limit of vanishing coupling. The axions produced by vacuum realignment are a form of cold dark matter today. The axion provides a solution then not only to the Strong CP Problem but also to the dark matter problem. Various methods have been proposed to search for dark matter axions and for axions emitted by the Sun. Their implementation and improvement has led to significant constraints on the notion of an invisible axion. Even purely laboratory methods may place significant constraints on invisible axions or axion-like particles. This review discusses the various methods that have been proposed and provides theoretical derivations of their signals., 89 pages, 7 figures, version to appear in Reviews of Modern Physics. A few references have been added. Additional small changes

This paper reports on a cavity haloscope search for dark matter axions in the galactic halo in the mass range $2.81$-$3.31$ ${\mu}eV$. This search excludes the full range of axion-photon coupling values predicted in benchmark models of the invisible axion that solve the strong CP problem of quantum chromodynamics, and marks the first time a haloscope search has been able to search for axions at mode crossings using an alternate cavity configuration. Unprecedented sensitivity in this higher mass range is achieved by deploying an ultra low-noise Josephson parametric amplifier as the first stage signal amplifier.

The Gaia map of the Milky Way reveals a pair of triangular features at nearly symmetric locations on opposite sides of the Galactic Center. In this paper we explore the implications of these features assuming they are manifestations of a caustic ring in the dark matter distribution of the Milky Way halo. The existence of a series of such rings is predicted by the Caustic Ring Model. The model’s phase-space distribution is that acquired by a rethermalizing Bose–Einstein condensate of axions or axion-like particles. We show that dust is gravitationally entrained by cold axion flows and propose this as an explanation for the sharpness of the triangular features. The locations of the features imply that we on Earth are much closer to the fifth caustic ring than thought on the basis of pre-Gaia observations. Most likely we are inside its tricusp cross-section. In that case the dark matter density on Earth is dominated by four cold flows, termed Big, Little, Up and Down. If we are outside the tricusp cross-section the dark matter density on Earth is dominated by two cold flows, Big and Little. We use the triangular features in the Gaia map, and a matching feature in the IRAS map, to estimate the velocity vectors and densities of the four locally dominant flows.

An axion is a particle that could resolve some issues with strong interaction CP symmetry and dark matter. A tunable microwave cavity permeated by a strong external magnetic field can be used to detect axions. The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) has developed a four-cavity array design to explore the axion mass range of 5–9 μeV. Tuning of each cavity frequency is done primarily by a coarse tuning rod, with a fine tuning rod used to lock frequencies together. Aluminum prototypes at 1:3 scale have been built and tested. At 300 K, the TM010 frequency varied from 4.4 to 6.4 GHz and crossed three TE modes. Electroplating pure aluminum on the cavity improved the Q factor by 27%. Preliminary results from 4.2 K test showed a 2% reduction of resonant frequency and an improvement in Q by a factor of 2.7 compared to the 300 K values.

Searching for axion dark matter, the ADMX collaboration acquired data from January to October 2018, over the mass range 2.81--3.31 $\mu$eV, corresponding to the frequency range 680--790 MHz. Using an axion haloscope consisting of a microwave cavity in a strong magnetic field, the ADMX experiment excluded Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnisky (DFSZ) axions at 100% dark matter density over this entire frequency range, except for a few gaps due to mode crossings. This paper explains the full ADMX analysis for Run 1B, motivating analysis choices informed by details specific to this run., Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures

Çetin, Serkant Ali (Dogus Author) -- Arık, Metin (Dogus Author) -- Yıldız, Süleyman Cenk (Dogus Author) Although they have not yet been detected, axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) continue to maintain the interest (even increasingly so) of the rare-event searches community as viable candidates for the Dark Matter of the Universe but also as a solution for several other puzzles of astrophysics. Their property of coupling to photons has inspired different experimental methods for their detection, one of which is the helioscope technique. The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) is the most sensitive helioscope built up to date and has recently published part of the latest data taken with the magnet bores gradually filled with He-3, probing the mass range up to 1.17 eV. The International AXion Observatory (IAXO) is being proposed as a facility where different axion studies can be performed, with the primary goal to study axions coming from the Sun. Designed to maximize sensitivity, it will improve the levels reached by CAST by almost 5 orders of magnitude in signal detection, that is more than one order of magnitude in terms of gay. Here we will summarize the most important aspects of the helioscopes, and focus mainly on IAXO, based on the recent papers [1, 2].

Electromagnetic radiation with angular frequency equal to half the axion mass stimulates the decay of cold dark matter axions and produces an echo, i.e. faint electromagnetic radiation traveling in the opposite direction. We propose to search for axion dark matter by sending out to space a powerful beam of microwave radiation and listening for its echo. We estimate the sensitivity of this technique in the isothermal and caustic ring models of the Milky Way halo, and find it to be a promising approach to axion, or axion-like, dark matter detection., 5 pages, 2 figures, includes changes suggested by PRL referees

The $\mu$eV axion is a well-motivated extension to the standard model. The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) collaboration seeks to discover this particle by looking for the resonant conversion of dark-matter axions to microwave photons in a strong magnetic field. In this Letter, we report results from a pathfinder experiment, the ADMX "Sidecar," which is designed to pave the way for future, higher mass, searches. This testbed experiment lives inside of and operates in tandem with the main ADMX experiment. The Sidecar experiment excludes masses in three widely spaced frequency ranges (4202-4249, 5086-5799, and 7173-7203 MHz). In addition, Sidecar demonstrates the successful use of a piezoelectric actuator for cavity tuning. Finally, this publication is the first to report data measured using both the TM$_{010}$ and TM$_{020}$ modes., Comment: 7 Pages, 4 figures

Caustic rings of dark matter with $\textit{tricusp}$ cross-section were predicted to lie in the galactic disk. Their radii increase on cosmological time scales at a rate of order $1$ kpc/Gyr. When a caustic ring passes through the orbit of a star, the orbit is strongly perturbed. We find that a star moving in a nearly circular orbit is first attracted towards the caustic ring, then moves with and oscillates about the caustic for approximately $1$ Gyr before returning to its original orbit. As a result, a stellar overdensity forms around the caustic ring. We predict such overdensities to be of order $120\%$ near the 2nd caustic ring where the Monoceros Ring is observed and of order $45$, $30$ and $15\%$ near the 3rd, 4th and 5th caustic rings, respectively. We show that the associated bulk velocities of the stars near the caustic rings are less than a few km/s. We also determine the density profile of interstellar gas near the 5th caustic ring assuming it is in thermal equilibrium in the gravitational potential of the caustic and of the gas itself., 19 pages, 9 figures

This Letter reports results from a haloscope search for dark matter axions with masses between 2.66 and 2.81 $\mu$eV. The search excludes the range of axion-photon couplings predicted by plausible models of the invisible axion. This unprecedented sensitivity is achieved by operating a large-volume haloscope at sub-kelvin temperatures, thereby reducing thermal noise as well as the excess noise from the ultra-low-noise SQUID amplifier used for the signal power readout. Ongoing searches will provide nearly definitive tests of the invisible axion model over a wide range of axion masses., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

It was shown in ref. [1] that cold dark matter axions reach thermal contact with baryons, and therefore cool them, shortly after the axions thermalize among themselves and form a Bose-Einstein condensate. The recent observation by the EDGES collaboration of a baryon temperature at cosmic dawn lower than expected under "standard" assumptions is interpreted as new evidence that the dark matter is axions, at least in part. Baryon cooling by dark matter axions is found to be consistent with the observation of baryon acoustic oscillations., Comment: 4 pages, no figures; references and comments were added

Axions are a promising cold dark matter candidate. Haloscopes, which use the conversion of axions to photons in the presence of a magnetic field to detect axions, are the basis of microwave cavity searches such as ADMX. To search for lighter, low frequency axions in the unexplored < 2 × 10−7 eV (50 MHz) range a tunable LC circuit has been proposed. Progress in the development of such an LC circuit based search is presented here. This will include preliminary results from prototypes using electrical tuning, superconducting loop antenna, and aluminum shielding.

Çetin, Serkant Ali (Dogus Author) -- Conference full title: 13th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics, TAUP 2013; Asilomar Conference Grounds Monterey Peninsula; United States; 8 September 2013 through 13 September 2013. The International Axion Observatory (IAXO) is a proposed 4th-generation axion helioscope with the primary physics research goal to search for solar axions via their Primakoff conversion into photons of 1 - 10 keV energies in a strong magnetic field. IAXO will achieve a sensitivity to the axion-photon coupling gaγ down to a few ×10-12 GeV-1 for a wide range of axion masses up to ∼ 0.25 eV. This is an improvement over the currently best (3rd generation) axion helioscope, the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST), of about 5 orders of magnitude in signal strength, corresponding to a factor ∼ 20 in the axion photon coupling. IAXO's sensitivity relies on the construction of a large superconducting 8-coil toroidal magnet of 20 m length optimized for axion research. Each of the eight 60 cm diameter magnet bores is equipped with x-ray optics focusing the signal photons into ∼ 0.2 cm2 spots that are imaged by very low background x-ray detectors. The magnet will be built into a structure with elevation and azimuth drives that will allow solar tracking for 12 hours each day. This contribution is a summary of our papers [1-3] and we refer to these for further details.

We develop a formalism to help calculate in quantum field theory the departures from the description of a system by classical field equations. We apply the formalism to a homogeneous condensate with attractive contact interactions and to a homogeneous self-gravitating condensate in critical expansion. In their classical descriptions, such condensates persist forever. We show that in their quantum description, parametric resonance causes quanta to jump in pairs out of the condensate into all modes with wavector less than some critical value. We calculate in each case the time scale over which the homogeneous condensate is depleted, and after which a classical description is invalid. We argue that the duration of classicality of inhomogeneous condensates is shorter than that of homogeneous condensates., 39 pages, 3 figures. A more detailed discussion of the duration of classicality is given, correcting relatively inconsequential errors/misunderstandings in the original version of this paper

We discuss the physics case for and the concept of a medium-scale axion helioscope with sensitivities in the axion-photon coupling a few times better than CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST). Search for an axion-like particle with these couplings is motivated by several persistent astrophysical anomalies. We present early conceptual design, existing infrastructure, projected sensitivity and timeline of such a helioscope (Troitsk Axion Solar Telescope Experiment, TASTE) to be constructed in the Institute for Nuclear Research, Troitsk, Russia. The proposed instrument may be also used for the search of dark-matter halo axions., 38 pages, 15 figures, JINST style. V2: misprints corrected. V3: minor clarifications and detalizations, version accepted by JINST

Motivated by tension between the predictions of ordinary cold dark matter (CDM) and observations at galactic scales, ultralight axionlike particles (ULALPs) with mass of the order $10^{-22}~{\rm eV}$ have been proposed as an alternative CDM candidate. We consider cold and collisionless ULALPs produced in the early Universe by the vacuum realignment mechanism and constituting most of CDM. The ULALP fluid is commonly described by classical field equations. However, we show that, like QCD axions, the ULALPs thermalize by gravitational self-interactions and form a Bose-Einstein condensate, a quantum phenomenon. ULALPs, like QCD axions, explain the observational evidence for caustic rings of dark matter because they thermalize and go to the lowest energy state available to them. This is one of rigid rotation on the turnaround sphere. By studying the heating effect of infalling ULALPs on galactic disk stars and the thickness of the nearby caustic ring as observed from a triangular feature in the IRAS map of our galactic disk, we obtain lower-mass bounds on the ULALP mass of order $10^{-23}$ and $10^{-20}~{\rm eV}$, respectively., 14 pages, 3 figures, minor typos corrected, matches published version

Non-virialized dark-matter axions may be present in the Milky Way halo in the form of low-velocity-dispersion flows. The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment performed a search for the conversion of these axions into microwave photons using a resonant cavity immersed in a strong, static magnetic field. The spread of photon energy in these measurements was measured at spectral resolutions of the order of 1 Hz and below. If the energy variation were this small, the frequency modulation of any real axion signal due to the orbital and rotational motion of the Earth would become non-negligible. Conservative estimates of the expected signal modulation were made and used as a guide for the search procedure. The photon frequencies covered by this search are 812$-$852 and 858$-$892 MHz, which correspond to an axion mass of 3.36$-$3.52 and 3.55$-$3.69 {\mu}eV. No axion signal was found, and limits were placed on the maximum local density of non-virialized axions of these masses., Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures

QCD depends on an extra parameter θ ¯ . When θ ¯ ≠ 0 , P and CP are violated. Because the strong interactions conserve P and CP, θ ¯ must be very small, of order 10 − 10 or less. However, within the Standard Model, θ ¯ is expected to be of order one. This puzzle is called the strong CP problem. Possible solutions are briefly described.

In an effort to extend the usefulness of microwave cavity detectors to higher axion masses, above ~8 $\mu$eV (~2 GHz), a numerical trade study of cavities was conducted to investigate the merit of using variable periodic post arrays and regulating vane designs for higher-frequency searches. The results show that both designs could be used to develop resonant cavities for high-mass axion searches. Multiple configurations of both methods obtained the scanning sensitivity equivalent to approximately 4 coherently coupled cavities with a single tuning rod., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, 1 table

The infall of cold dark matter onto a galaxy produces cold collisionless flows and caustics in its halo. If a signal is found in the cavity detector of dark matter axions, the flows will be readily apparent as peaks in the energy spectrum of photons from axion conversion, allowing the densities, velocity vectors and velocity dispersions of the flows to be determined. We discuss the evolution of velocity dispersion along cold collisionless flows in one and two dimensions. A technique is presented for obtaining the leading behaviour of the velocity dispersion near caustics. The results are used to derive an upper limit on the energy dispersion of the Big Flow from the sharpness of its nearby caustic, and a prediction for the dispersions in its velocity components., 19 pages, 2 figures

We obtain solutions to the coupled Schr\"odinger-Poisson equations. The solutions describe the evolution of cold dark matter density perturbations in an otherwise homogeneous expanding Friedmann universe. We discuss the relationships between descriptions of cold dark matter in terms of a pressureless fluid, in terms of a wave function, of a classical scalar field, and a quantum scalar field. We identify the regimes where the various descriptions coincide and where they differ.

▪ Abstract The axion, a favored dark matter candidate, is expected to have a very small mass and extraordinarily weak couplings. Although it has eluded discovery or exclusion for three decades, it remains the most compelling solution to the strong-CP problem. Axions may be detected by their resonant conversion to RF photons in a microwave cavity permeated by a magnetic field. Experiments have already set significant limits on the axion's mass and photon coupling; progress in photon detection schemes at or below the standard quantum limit will soon enable definitive searches. Similarly, axions produced in the solar burning core may be detectable by their conversion to X rays in a magnetic helioscope. Significant improvements in both mass range and sensitivity of the axion helioscope will likewise be forthcoming in the next few years.

Recent determinations of cosmological parameters point to a flat Universe, whose total energy density is composed of about two-thirds vacuum energy and one-third matter. Ordinary baryonic matter is relegated to a small fraction of the latter, within which the luminous part is an order of magnitude smaller yet. Particle dark matter, i.e., one or more relic particle species from the big bang, is thus strongly suggested as the dominant component of matter in the Universe. The axion, a hypothetical elementary pseudoscalar arising from the Peccei-Quinn solution to the strong-$\mathrm{CP}$ problem, is a well-motivated candidate. If the axion exists, it must be extremely light, in the mass range of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}--{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}\mathrm{eV},$ and possess extraordinarily feeble couplings to matter and radiation. Nevertheless, as proposed by Sikivie in 1983, the axion's two-photon coupling lends itself to a feasible search strategy with currently available technology. In this scheme, axions resonantly convert to single microwave photons by a Primakoff interaction, in a tunable microwave cavity permeated by a strong magnetic field. Present experiments utilizing heterostructure transistor microwave amplifiers have achieved total system noise temperatures of $\ensuremath{\sim}3\mathrm{K}$ and represent the world's quietest spectral radio receivers. Exclusion regions have already been published well into the band of realistic axion model couplings, within the lowest decade of mass range. Recent breakthroughs in the development of near-quantum-limited superconducting quantum interference device amplifiers should reduce the system noise temperature to $\ensuremath{\sim}100\mathrm{mK}$ or less. Ongoing research into using Rydberg-atom single-quantum detectors as the detector in a microwave cavity experiment could further reduce the effective noise temperature. In parallel with improvements in amplifier technology, promising concepts for higher-frequency cavity resonators are being explored to open up the higher decades in mass range. Definitive experiments to find or exclude the axion may therefore be at hand in the next few years. As the microwave cavity technique measures the total energy of the axion, a positive discovery could well reveal fine structure of the signal due to flows of nonthermalized axions. Manifesting diurnal and sidereal modulation, such detailed features would contain a wealth of information about the history, structure, and dynamics of our Milky Way galaxy.

Çetin, Serkant Ali (Dogus Author) -- Conference full title: 7th International Symposium on Large TPCs for Low-Energy Rare Event Detection; Institute of Astroparticle Physics (APC) Campus - Paris Diderot UniversityParis; France; 15 December 2014 through 17 December 2014 The IAXO (International Axion Experiment) is a fourth generation helioscope with a sensitivity, in terms of detectable signal counts, at least 104 better than CAST phase-I, resulting in sensitivity on gaγ one order of magnitude better. To achieve this performance IAXO will count on a 8-coil toroidal magnet with 60 cm diameter bores and equipped with X-ray focusing optics into 0.20 cm2 spots coupled to ultra-low background Micromegas X-ray detectors. The magnet will be on a platform that will allow solar tracking for 12 hours per day. The next short term objectives are to prepare a Technical Design Report and to construct the first prototypes of the hardware main ingredients: demonstration coil, X-ray optics and low background detector while refining the physics case and studying the feasibility studies for Dark Matter axions.

Dark matter axions may cause transitions between atomic states that differ in energy by an amount equal to the axion mass. Such energy differences are conveniently tuned using the Zeeman effect. It is proposed to search for dark matter axions by cooling a kilogram-sized sample to milliKelvin temperatures and count axion induced transitions using laser techniques. This appears an appropriate approach to axion dark matter detection in the $10^{-4}$ eV mass range., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. An error of a factor 4 in the event rate is corrected

We show that dark matter axions cause an oscillating electric current to flow along magnetic field lines. The oscillating current induced in a strong magnetic field ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}}_{0}$ produces a small magnetic field ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}}_{a}$. We propose to amplify and detect ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}}_{a}$ using a cooled $LC$ circuit and a very sensitive magnetometer. This appears to be a suitable approach to searching for axion dark matter in the $1{0}^{\ensuremath{-}7}$ to $1{0}^{\ensuremath{-}9}\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$ mass range.

An axion detector consisting of a tunable high-Q cavity, a superconducting magnet, and a superheterodyne receiver with an ultra-low noise pre-ampli"er has been built to search for galactic halo axions in the mass range of 1.3}13 leV. The detector instrumentation, search process, and data analysis are described. For the "rst time, this class of detector has reached su$cient sensitivity to detect halo axions with high con"dence. ( 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

We discuss the decay of axion walls bounded by strings and present numerical simulations of the decay process. In these simulations, the decay happens immediately, in a time scale of order the light travel time, and the average energy of the radiated axions is $ \simeq 7 m_a$ for $v_a/m_a\simeq 500$. $$ is found to increase approximately linearly with $\ln(v_a/m_a)$. Extrapolation of this behaviour yields $ \simeq 60 m_a$ in axion models of interest., Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, to be published in the Proc. of the 5th IFT Axion workshop Gainesville FL, Mar 13-15 1998

It is shown that the infall of collisionless dark matter onto isolated galaxies produces a series of caustic rings in the halo dark matter distribution. The properties of these caustics are investigated. The density profile of the caustic is derived for a specific case. Bumps in the rotation curve of NGC 3198 are interpreted as due to caustic rings of dark matter., Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, Latex, minor changes, version to to be published by Phys. Lett. B

The International Axion Observatory (IAXO) will be a forth generation axion helioscope. As its primary physics goal, IAXO will look for axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) originating in the Sun via the Primakoff conversion of the solar plasma photons. In terms of signal-to-noise ratio, IAXO will be about 4-5 orders of magnitude more sensitive than CAST, currently the most powerful axion helioscope, reaching sensitivity to axion-photon couplings down to a few $\times 10^{-12}$ GeV$^{-1}$ and thus probing a large fraction of the currently unexplored axion and ALP parameter space. IAXO will also be sensitive to solar axions produced by mechanisms mediated by the axion-electron coupling $g_{ae}$ with sensitivity $-$for the first time$-$ to values of $g_{ae}$ not previously excluded by astrophysics. With several other possible physics cases, IAXO has the potential to serve as a multi-purpose facility for generic axion and ALP research in the next decade. In this paper we present the conceptual design of IAXO, which follows the layout of an enhanced axion helioscope, based on a purpose-built 20m-long 8-coils toroidal superconducting magnet. All the eight 60cm-diameter magnet bores are equipped with focusing x-ray optics, able to focus the signal photons into $\sim 0.2$ cm$^2$ spots that are imaged by ultra-low-background Micromegas x-ray detectors. The magnet is built into a structure with elevation and azimuth drives that will allow for solar tracking for $\sim$12 h each day., Comment: 47 pages, submitted to JINST

The spectrum of cold dark matter particles on Earth is expected to have peaks in velocity space associated with particles which are falling onto the Galaxy for the first time and with particles which have fallen in and out of the Galaxy only a small number of times in the past. We obtain estimates for the velocity magnitudes and the local densities of the particles in these peaks. To this end we use the secondary infall model of galactic halo formation which we have generalized to take account of the angular momentum of the dark matter particles. The new model is still spherically symmetric and it admits self-similar solutions. In the absence of angular momentum, the model produces flat rotation curves for a large range of values of a parameter $\epsilon$ which is related to the spectrum of primordial density perturbations. We find that the presence of angular momentum produces an effective core radius, i.e. it makes the contribution of the halo to the rotation curve go to zero at zero radius. The model provides a detailed description of the large scale properties of galactic halos including their density profiles, their extent and total mass. We obtain predictions for the kinetic energies of the particles in the velocity peaks and estimates for their local densities as functions of the amount of angular momentum, the age of the universe and $\epsilon$., Comment: LaTeX, 39 pages including 18 figures

Çetin, Serkant Ali (Dogus Author) -- Conference full title: 6th Symposium on Large TPCs for Low Energy Rare Event Detection; Paris; France; 17 December 2012 through 19 December 2012. The International Axion Observatory (IAXO) is a new generation axion helioscope aiming at a sensitivity to the axion-photon coupling of gaγ ∼ few × 10-12 GeV-1, i.e. 1-1.5 orders of magnitude beyond the one achieved by CAST, currently the most sensitive axion helioscope. The main elements of IAXO are an increased magnetic field volume together with extensive use of x-ray focusing optics and low background detectors, innovations already successfully tested in CAST. Additional physics cases of IAXO could include the detection of electron-coupled axions invoked to explain the white dwarf cooling, relic axions, and a large variety of more generic axion-like particles (ALPs) and other novel excitations at the low-energy frontier of elementary particle physics.

An argument is presented that the dark matter is axions, at least in part. It has three steps. First, axions behave differently from the other forms of cold dark matter because they form a rethermalizing Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Second, there is a tool to distinguish axion BEC from the other dark matter candidates on the basis of observation, namely the study of the inner caustics of galactic halos. Third, the observational evidence for caustic rings of dark matter is consistent in every aspect with axion BEC, but not with the other proposed forms of dark matter.

We analyze the behavior of axion dark matter before it falls into a galactic gravitational potential well. The axions thermalize sufficiently fast by gravitational self-interactions that almost all go to their lowest energy state consistent with the total angular momentum acquired from tidal torquing. That state is a state of rigid rotation on the turnaround sphere. It predicts the occurrence and detailed properties of the caustic rings of dark matter for which observational evidence had been found earlier. We show that the vortices in the axion Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) are attractive, unlike those in superfluid $^4$He and dilute gases. We expect that a large fraction of the vortices in the axion BEC join into a single big vortex along the rotation axis of the galaxy. The resulting enhancement of caustic rings explains the typical size of the rises in the Milky Way rotation curve attributed to caustic rings. We show that baryons and ordinary cold dark matter particles are entrained by the axion BEC and acquire the same velocity distribution. The resulting baryonic angular momentum distribution gives a good qualitative fit to the distributions observed in dwarf galaxies. We give estimates of the minimum fraction of dark matter that is axions., Comment: 33 pages, 3 figures

In this work we consider searches for dark matter made of axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) using resonant radio frequency cavities inserted into dipole magnets from particle accelerators, wiggler magnets developed for accelerator based advanced light sources, and toroidal magnets similar to those used in particle physics detectors. We investigate the expected sensitivity of such ALP dark matter detectors and discuss the engineering aspects of building and tuning them. Brief mention is also made of even stronger field magnets that are becoming available due to improvements in magnetic technology. It is concluded that new experiments utilizing already existing magnets could greatly enlarge the mass region in searches for axion-like dark matter particles., Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures

We propose an experimental scheme to search for galactic halo axions with mass [ital m][sub [ital a]][similar to]10[sup [minus]4] eV, which is above the range accessible with cavity techniques. The detector consists of a large number of parallel superconducting wires embedded in a material transparent to microwave radiation. The wires carry a current configuration which produces a static, inhomogeneous magnetic field [bold B]([bold x]) within the detector volume. Axions which enter this volume may convert to photons. We discuss the feasibility of the detector and its sensitivity.

Following Tremaine and Gunn, we discuss what fraction of the density of our galactic halo can be composed of neutrinos. We find that in many cosmological models with mixed hot and cold dark matter, which have been motivated by the recent COBE data and other measurements of large-scale structure, the neutrino mass density fraction in our galactic halo is likely to be much less than the neutrino fraction of the cosmological energy density.

We propose a large-scale experimental search for dark-matter axions which may constitute an important fraction of our own galactic halo. As shown by Sikivie,1 dark-matter axions may be detected by their stimulated conversion into monochromatic microwave photons in a tunable high-Q cavity inside a strong magnetic field. The principal improvement in power sensitivity over two earlier pilot experiments (×25) derives from the large-volume high field superconducting magnet (the NASA SUMMA coils). The improvement in mass range (1.5 to 12.6 μeV) will result from the use of several microwave cavity arrays, of 2n cavities each, over the course of the experimental program, rather than a single cavity. We are participating in a joint venture with the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences to do R&D on metalized precision-formed ceramic microwave cavities for the axion search.

The hypothesis of an `invisible' axion was made by Misha Shifman and others, approximately thirty years ago. It has turned out to be an unusually fruitful idea, crossing boundaries between particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. An axion with mass of order $10^{-5}$ eV (with large uncertainties) is one of the leading candidates for the dark matter of the universe. It was found recently that dark matter axions thermalize and form a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Because they form a BEC, axions differ from ordinary cold dark matter (CDM) in the non-linear regime of structure formation and upon entering the horizon. Axion BEC provides a mechanism for the production of net overall rotation in dark matter halos, and for the alignment of cosmic microwave anisotropy multipoles. Because there is evidence for these phenomena, unexplained with ordinary CDM, an argument can be made that the dark matter is axions., 12 pages, invited talk at the Workshop `Crossing the Boundaries: Gauge Dynamics at Strong Coupling' in honor of Misha Shifman's 60th birthday, March 14-17, 2009, in Minneapolis, MN

Axions differ from the other cold dark matter candidates in that they form a degenerate Bose gas. It is shown that their huge quantum degeneracy and large correlation length cause cold dark matter axions to thermalize through gravitational self-interactions when the photon temperature reaches approximately 500 eV. When they thermalize, the axions form a Bose-Einstein condensate. Their thermalization occurs in a regime, herein called the `condensed regime', where the Boltzmann equation is not valid because the energy dispersion of the particles is smaller than their interaction rate. We derive analytical expressions for the thermalization rate of particles in the condensed regime, and check the validity of these expressions by numerical simulation of a toy model. We revisit axion cosmology in light of axion Bose-Einstein condensation. It is shown that axions are indistinguishable from ordinary cold dark matter on all scales of observational interest, except when they thermalize or rethermalize. The rethermalization of axions that are about to fall in a galactic potential well causes them to acquire net overall rotation as they go to the lowest energy state consistent with the total angular momentum they acquired by tidal torquing. This phenomenon explains the occurrence of caustic rings of dark matter in galactic halos. We find that photons may reach thermal contact with axions and investigate the implications of this possibility for the measurements of cosmological parameters., 38 pages, 1 figure

We observe that photon cooling after big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) but before recombination can remove the conflict between the observed and theoretically predicted value of the primordial abundance of $^7$Li. Such cooling is ordinarily difficult to achieve. However, the recent realization that dark matter axions form a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) provides a possible mechanism, because the much colder axions may reach thermal contact with the photons. This proposal predicts a high effective number of neutrinos as measured by the cosmic microwave anisotropy spectrum., 4 pages, one figure. Version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett., incorporating useful comments by the referees and emphasizing that photon cooling by axion BEC is a possibility, not a certainty

We consider a string with uniform energy density and tension and with a number of pointlike masses attached at fixed interdistances. We evaluate the effective interaction forces between these masses induced by the quantum fluctuations of the string. For interdistances large compared to the thickness of the string and small compared to the total length, these forces are universal and attractive and fall off, for large distances as $1/r^3$ and for small distances as $1/r$. The attractive nature of these forces creates an instability under which masses added to the string tend to aggregate., Comment: 9 pages, TEX, UCLA/92/TEP/31 and UFIFT-HEP-92-33

Hidden U(1) gauge symmetries are common to many extensions of the standard model proposed to explain dark matter. The hidden gauge vector bosons of such extensions may mix kinetically with standard model photons, providing a means for electromagnetic power to pass through conducting barriers. The axion dark matter experiment detector was used to search for hidden vector bosons originating in an emitter cavity driven with microwave power. We exclude hidden vector bosons with kinetic couplings $\ensuremath{\chi}g3.48\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ for masses less than $3\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{eV}$. This limit represents an improvement of more than 2 orders of magnitude in sensitivity relative to previous cavity experiments.

A resonantly‐enhanced photon‐regeneration experiment to search for the axion or axion‐like particles is discussed. Photons enter a strong magnetic field and some are converted to axions; the axions can pass through an opaque wall and some may convert back to photons in a second high‐field region. The photon regeneration is enhanced by employing matched Fabry‐Perot optical cavities, with one cavity within the axion generation magnet and the second within the photon regeneration magnet. The optics for this experiment are discussed, with emphasis on the alignment of the two cavities.