Neutron stars provide ideal astrophysical laboratories for probing new physics beyond the Standard Model. If axions exist, photons can develop linear polarization during photon-axion conversion in the magnetic field of a neutron star. We find that the plasma in the neutron star magnetosphere could dramatically enhance the polarization through the resonant conversion effect. With the polarization measurements from PSR B0531+21, PSR B0656+14, and 4U 0142+61, we derive new strong constraints on the axion-photon coupling in a broad axion mass range 10⁻¹¹ mₐ 10⁻³ eV.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Song et al. (2024) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: