Constraints on axionlike particles from a combined analysis of three flaring F e r m i flat-spectrum radio quasars
Abstract
Many theories beyond the Standard Model of particle physics predict the existence of axionlike particles (ALPs) that mix with photons in the presence of a magnetic field. Searching for the effects of ALP-photon mixing in gamma-ray observations of blazars has provided some of the strongest constraints on ALP parameter space so far. Previously, only individual sources have been analyzed. We perform a combined analysis on Fermi Large Area Telescope data of three bright flaring flat-spectrum radio quasars, with the blazar jets themselves as the dominant mixing region. For the first time, we include a full treatment of photon-photon dispersion within the jet and account for the uncertainty in our B -field model by leaving the field strength free in the fitting. Overall, we find no evidence for ALPs but are able to exclude the ALP parameters 5 neV ≲ma≲200 neV and ga γ≳5 ×10-12 GeV-1 with 95% confidence.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review D
- Pub Date:
- April 2023
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.107.083027
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2211.03414
- Bibcode:
- 2023PhRvD.107h3027D
- Keywords:
-
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
- E-Print:
- 18 pages, 14 figures