Heavy axion-like particles and core-collapse supernovae: constraints and impact on the explosion mechanism

Heavy axion-like particles (ALPs), with masses $m_a \gtrsim 100$ keV, coupled with photons, would be copiously produced in a supernova (SN) core via Primakoff process and photon coalescence. Using a state-of-the-art SN model, we revisit the energy-loss SN 1987A bounds on axion-photon coupling. Moreover, we point out that heavy ALPs with masses $m_a \gtrsim 100$ MeV and axion-photon coupling $g_{a\gamma} \gtrsim 4 \times 10^{-9}$ GeV$^{-1}$ would decay into photons behind the shock-wave producing a possible enhancement in the energy deposition that would boost the SN shock revival.Comment: v2 (32 pages, 21 figure): revised version. Matches the published version on JCAP. Major changes to improve the robustness of the bound. Added two Appendices on the possible constraining criteria and on the effect of the SN progenitor mass on the boun

Probing high-energy solar axion flux with a large scintillation neutrino detector

We investigate the 5.49 MeV solar axions flux produced in the p(d,\, ^{3}{\rm He})a reaction and analyze the potential to detect it with the forthcoming large underground neutrino oscillation experiment Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). The JUNO detector could reveal axions through various processes such as Compton and inverse Primakoff conversion, as well as through their decay into two photons or electron-positron pairs inside the detector. We perform a detailed numerical analysis in order to forecast the sensitivity on different combinations of the axion-electron ($g_{ae}$), axion-photon ($g_{a\gamma}$), and isovector axion-nucleon ($g_{3aN}$) couplings, using the expected JUNO data for different benchmark values of axion mass in a model-independent way. We find that JUNO would improve by approximately one order of magnitude current bounds by Borexino and it has the best sensitivity among neutrino experiments.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

Proto-neutron stars as cosmic factories for massive axion-like-particles

The parameter space of massive axion-like-particles (ALPs) with $m_a \sim {\mathcal O} (100)$ MeV and coupled with nucleons is largely unexplored. Here, we present new constraints in this parameter region. In doing so, we characterize the supernova emissivity of heavy ALPs from a proto-neutron star, including for the first time mass effects in both nucleon-nucleon Bremsstrahlung and pionic Compton processes. In addition, we highlight novel possibilities to probe the couplings with photons and leptons from supernova ALP decays.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Italian version of the Kerlan\u2013Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Shoulder and Elbow score

Background: The Kerlan\u2013Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) Shoulder and Elbow score is a reliable and sensitive tool to measure the performance of overhead athletes. The purpose of this study was to carry out a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the KJOC questionnaire in Italian and to assess its reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Materials and methods: Ninety professional athletes with a painful shoulder were included in this study and were assigned to the \u201cinjury group\u201d (n = 32) or the \u201coveruse group\u201d (n = 58); 65 were managed conservatively and 25 were treated by arthroscopic surgery. To assess the reliability of the KJOC score, patients were asked to fill in the questionnaire at baseline and after 2 weeks. To test the construct validity, KJOC scores were compared to those obtained with the Italian version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scale, and with the DASH sports/performing arts module. To test KJOC score responsiveness, the follow-up KJOC scores of the participants treated conservatively were compared to those of the patients treated by arthroscopic surgery. Results: Statistical analysis demonstrated that the KJOC questionnaire is reliable in terms of the single items and the overall score (ICC 0.95\u20130.99); that it has high construct validity (rs =  120.697; p < 0.01); and that it is responsive to clinical differences in shoulder function (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The Italian version of the KJOC Shoulder and Elbow score performed in a similar way to the English version and demonstrated good validity, reliability, and responsiveness after conservative and surgical treatment. Level of evidence: II

Constraints on the coupling with photons of heavy axion-like-particles from Globular Clusters

We update the globular cluster bound on massive ($m_a$ up to a few 100 keV) axion-like particles (ALP) interacting with photons. The production of such particles in the stellar core is dominated by the Primakoff $\gamma + Ze\to Ze +a$ and by the photon coalescence process $\gamma+\gamma\to a$. The latter, which is predominant at high masses, was not included in previous estimations. Furthermore, we account for the possibility that axions decay inside the stellar core, a non-negligible effect at the masses and couplings we are considering here. Consequently, our result modifies considerably the previous constraint, especially for $m_a \gtrsim 50$ keV. The combined constraints from Globular Cluster stars, SN 1987A, and beam-dump experiments leave a small triangularly shaped region open in the parameter space around $m_a \sim 0.5-1\,$ MeV and $g_{a\gamma} \sim 10^{-5}$ GeV$^{-1}$. This is informally known as the ALP "cosmological triangle" since it can be excluded only using standard cosmological arguments. As we shall mention, however, there are viable cosmological models that are compatible with axion-like particles with parameters in such region. We also discuss possibilities to explore the cosmological triangle experimentally in upcoming accelerator experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. v2: Revised version. Matches the version published on PLB. Improved the discussion on axion energy transfer in HB stars. Added two Appendices on photon-axion transition rate from Primakoff conversion and on photon coalescenc

Prolonged abstinence from developmental cocaine exposure dysregulates BDNF and its signaling network in the medial prefrontal cortex of adult rats.

Although evidence exists that chronic cocaine exposure during adulthood is associated with changes in BDNF expression, whether and how cocaine exposure during adolescence modulates BDNF is still unknown. To address this issue, we exposed rats to repeated cocaine injections from post-natal day (PD) 28 to PD 42, a period that roughly approximates adolescence in humans, and we carried out a detailed analysis of the BDNF system in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats sacrificed 3 d (PD 45) and 48 d (PD 90) after the last cocaine treatment. We found that developmental exposure to cocaine altered transcriptional and translational mechanisms governing neurotrophin expression. Total BDNF mRNA levels, in fact, were enhanced in the mPFC of PD 90 rats exposed to cocaine in adolescence, an effect sustained by changes in BDNF exon IV through the transcription factors CaRF and NF-kB. While a profound reduction of specific BDNF-related miRNAs (let7d, miR124 and miR132) may contribute to explaining the increased proBDNF levels, the up-regulation of the extracellular proteases tPA is indicative of increased processing leading to higher levels of released mBDNF. These changes were associated with increased activation of the trkB-Akt pathway resulting in enhanced pmTOR and pS6 kinase, which ultimately produced an up-regulation of Arc and a consequent reduction of GluA1 expression in the mPFC of PD 90 cocaine-treated rats. These findings demonstrate that developmental exposure to cocaine dynamically dysregulates BDNF and its signaling network in the mPFC of adult rats, providing novel mechanisms that may contribute to cocaine-induced changes in synaptic plasticity

Getting the most on supernova axions

Axion-like particles (ALPs) coupled to nucleons might be copiously emitted from a supernova (SN) core. We extend existing bounds on free-streaming ALPs to the case in which these are so strongly-interacting with the nuclear matter to be trapped in the SN core. For strongly-interacting ALPs, we also extend the bound from the absence of an ALP-induced signal in Kamiokande-II neutrino detector at the time of SN 1987A. We find that combining the different arguments, SNe exclude values of axion-nucleon coupling $g_{aN}\gtrsim10^{-9}$ for ALP masses $m_{a}\lesssim1$ MeV. Remarkably, in the case of canonical QCD axion models, the SN bounds exclude all values of $m_{a}\gtrsim 10^{-2}$ eV. This result prevents the possibility for current and future cosmological surveys to detect any axion signal.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Getting the most on supernova axions

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by the American Physical Society. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Axionlike particles (ALPs) coupled to nucleons might be copiously emitted from a supernova (SN) core. We extend existing bounds on free-streaming ALPs to the case in which these are so strongly interacting with the nuclear matter to be trapped in the SN core. For strongly interacting ALPs, we also extend the bound from the absence of an ALP-induced signal in Kamiokande-II neutrino detector at the time of SN 1987A. We find that combining the different arguments, SNe exclude values of ALP-nucleon coupling gaN 10-9 for ALP masses ma 1 MeV. Remarkably, in the case of canonical QCD axion models, the SN bounds exclude all values of ma 10-2 eV. This result prevents the possibility for current and future cosmological surveys to detect any signatures due to hot dark matter QCD axion mass.Peer reviewe

Cross section for supernova axion observation in neutrino water Čherenkov detectors

©2024 American Physical Society. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.109.015501Axions coupled to nucleons might be copiously emitted from core-collapse supernovae (SNe). If the axion-nucleon coupling is strong enough, then axions would be emitted from the SN as a burst and, reaching Earth, may excite the oxygen nuclei in water Čherenkov detectors (O16+a→O∗16). This process will be followed by decay(s) of the excited state resulting in an emission of photons and thus providing a possibility for a direct detection of axions from a galactic SN in large underground neutrino Čherenkov detectors. Motivated by this possibility, we present an updated calculation of axion-oxygen cross section obtained by using self-consistent continuum random-phase approximation. We calculate the branching ratio of the oxygen nucleus deexcitation into γ rays, neutrons, protons, and α particles and also consider photon emission from secondary nuclei to compute a total γ spectrum created when axions excite O16. These results are used to revisit the detectability of axions from SN 1987A in Kamiokande-II.Peer reviewe

Biological Notes and Distribution in Southern Europe of Aclees taiwanensis Kono, 1933 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): A New Pest of the Fig Tree

Ficus carica L. is one of the earliest cultivated fruit trees, and figs are a typical fruit of the Mediterranean diet and traditional medicine as well. In recent years, a new pest, the black weevil Aclees taiwanensis Kono, 1933 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) native to Asia, has been recorded in France and Italy. Aclees taiwanensis causes the rapid death of the fig tree by its larvae that dig alimentation galleries in the trunk and surface roots, compromising the phloem flux. In Italy, from 2005, the year of the first detection of A. taiwanensis, the fig production has nearly halved, decreasing from 20.09 t to 10.65 t. To date, no specific EU regulation has been applied to prevent the A. taiwanensis spread, and we can reasonably expect a rapid diffusion of this pest all over the Mediterranean area. To avoid the loss of the Mediterranean fig orchards, effective strategies to detect and control the black weevil are required. Such strategies need a detailed knowledge of A. taiwanensis distribution, biology, and physiology. This paper updates the known distribution of this species in Southern Europe, using a citizen science approach, and describes, under laboratory and field conditions, its main biological traits