Preprint
Plasma instability splits axion-photon conversion lines
arXiv
arXiv
09/23/2026
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2609.28704
Abstract
The axion coupling to electromagnetism may leave signatures of uncertain nature in astrophysical spectra; one is thought to be a single line centered at the axion frequency$ω= \sqrt{\left(m_a c^2/\hbar\right)^2 + c^2 k_a^2}$ , with$m_a c^2/\hbar$the axion Compton frequency and$\hbar k_a$its momentum. If a parametric plasma instability is excited, this signature is transformed into a set of lines, which may be proportionally spaced and linearly polarized. A Crab pulsar signal at a frequency near recent cosmological predictions for the axion Compton frequency has some qualitative similarity to this signature, though this similarity is not evidence that the signal is caused by axions.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Plasma instability splits axion-photon conversion lines
- Creators
- Elizabeth A Tolman
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Publication Details
- arXiv
- DOI
- 10.48550/arxiv.2609.28704
- ISSN
- 2331-8422
- Publisher
- arXiv
- Language
- English
- Date posted
- 09/23/2026
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9985237506102771
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