Status and perspectives of the CAST experiment

Arık, Metin (Dogus Author) -- The conference paper was firstly submitted to 12th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics.The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) is currently the most sensitive axion helioscope designed to search for axions produced by the Primakoff process in the solar core. CAST is using a Large Hadron Collider (LHC) test magnet where axions could be converted into X-rays with energies up to 10 keV. During the phase I, the experiment operated with vacuum inside the magnet bores and covered axion masses up to 0.02 eV. In the phase II, the magnet bores were filled with a buffer gas (first 4He and later 3He) at various densities in order to extend the sensitivity to higher axion masses (up to f .18 eV). The phase II data taking was completed in 2011. So far, no evidence of axion signal has been found and CAST set the most restrictive experimental limit on the axion-photon coupling constant over a broad range of axion masses. The latest CAST results with 3He data in the mass range 0.39 eV < m a < 0.64 eV will be presented

First results of the CAST-RADES haloscope search for axions at 34.67 μeV

We present results of the Relic Axion Dark-Matter Exploratory Setup (RADES), a detector which is part of the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST), searching for axion dark matter in the 34.67μeV mass range. A radio frequency cavity consisting of 5 sub-cavities coupled by inductive irises took physics data inside the CAST dipole magnet for the first time using this filter-like haloscope geometry. An exclusion limit with a 95% credibility level on the axion-photon coupling constant of gaγ & 4 × 10−13 GeV−1 over a mass range of 34.6738μeV < ma < 34.6771μeV is set. This constitutes a significant improvement over the current strongest limit set by CAST at this mass and is at the same time one of the most sensitive direct searches for an axion dark matter candidate above the mass of 25μeV. The results also demonstrate the feasibility of exploring a wider mass range around the value probed by CAST-RADES in this work using similar coherent resonant cavitiesWe wish to thank our colleagues at CERN, in particular Marc Thiebert from the coating lab, as well as the whole team of the CERN Central Cryogenic Laboratory for their support and advice in speci c aspects of the project. We thank Arefe Abghari for her contributions as the project's summer student during 2018. This work has been funded by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) under project FPA-2016-76978-C3-2-P and PID2019-108122GB-C33, and was supported by the CERN Doctoral Studentship programme. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council and BD, JG and SAC acknowledge support through the European Research Council under grant ERC-2018-StG-802836 (AxScale project). BD also acknowledges fruitful discussions at MIAPP supported by DFG under EXC-2094 { 390783311. IGI acknowledges also support from the European Research Council (ERC) under grant ERC-2017-AdG-788781 (IAXO+ project). JR has been supported by the Ramon y Cajal Fellowship 2012-10597, the grant PGC2018-095328-B-I00(FEDER/Agencia estatal de investigaci on) and FSE-GA2017-2019-E12/7R (Gobierno de Aragón/FEDER) (MINECO/FEDER), the EU through the ITN \Elusives" H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015/674896 and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under grant SFB-1258 as a Mercator Fellow. CPG was supported by PROMETEO II/2014/050 of Generalitat Valenciana, FPA2014-57816-P of MINECO and by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreements 690575 and 674896. AM is supported by the European Research Council under Grant No. 742104. Part of this work was performed under the auspices of the US Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344

Search for solar axions: CAST

The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) is searching for axions produced in the Sun's core by the Primakoff process. CAST is using a decommissioned Large Hadron Collider (LHC) test magnet where axions could be converted back into X-rays with energies up to 10 keV. Analysis of the 2003 data showed no signal above background implying an upper limit for the axion-photon coupling constant gagg < 1.16 X 10 ^-10 GeV exp -1 at 95% C.L. for ma . 0.02 eV [1]. The higher quality 2004 data is presently under analysis. CAST Phase II is scheduled to start in late 2005. This will be the first step in extending CAST's sensitivity to axion rest masses up to ~ 1 eV

Dietary amino acid and vitamin complex protects honey bee from immunosuppression caused by <i>Nosema ceranae</i>

<div><p>Microsporidium <i>Nosema ceranae</i> is well known for exerting a negative impact on honey bee health, including down-regulation of immunoregulatory genes. Protein nutrition has been proven to have beneficial effects on bee immunity and other aspects of bee health. Bearing this in mind, the aim of our study was to evaluate the potential of a dietary amino acid and vitamin complex “BEEWELL AminoPlus” to protect honey bees from immunosuppression induced by <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i>. In a laboratory experiment bees were infected with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> and treated with supplement on first, third, sixth and ninth day after emergence. The expression of genes for immune-related peptides (abaecin, apidaecin, hymenoptaecin, defensin and vitellogenin) was compared between groups. The results revealed significantly lower (p<0.01 or p<0.001) numbers of <i>Nosema</i> spores in supplemented groups than in the control especially on day 12 post infection. With the exception of abacein, the expression levels of immune-related peptides were significantly suppressed (p<0.01 or p<0.001) in control group on the 12^th day post infection, compared to bees that received the supplement. It was supposed that <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> had a negative impact on bee immunity and that the tested amino acid and vitamin complex modified the expression of immune-related genes in honey bees compromised by infection, suggesting immune-stimulation that reflects in the increase in resistance to diseases and reduced bee mortality. The supplement exerted best efficacy when applied simultaneously with <i>Nosema</i> infection, which can help us to assume the most suitable period for its application in the hive.</p></div

Expression levels of abaecin gene on day 3 after the infection with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> in groups treated with amino acid—Vitamin complex “BEEWELL AminoPlus”.

<p>Groups were infected with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> spores on day 3 after emerging and treated with “BEEWELL AminoPlus” from day 1 (I-BW1) and day 3 (I-BW3), while the control group (I) was infected, but not treated. Different letters denote significant differences between groups.</p

Expression levels of genes for abaecin, hymenoptaecin, defensin, apidaecin and vitellogenin on day 12 after the infection with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> in groups treated with “BEEWELL AminoPlus”.

<p>Groups were infected with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> spores on 3^rd day after emerging and treated with “BEEWELL AminoPlus” from 1^st (I-BW1), 3^rd (I-BW3), 6^th (I-BW6) and 9^th (I-BW9) day, while the control group (I) was infected with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> but not treated. Different letters denote significant differences between groups.</p

Expression levels of genes for defensin, vitellogenin, apidaecin and hymenoptaecin in group I-BW3 on different sampling days.

<p>IBW-3 group was infected with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> spores on 3^rd and treated with “BEEWELL AminoPlus” from 3^rd day after emerging. Bees were sampled for analyses on 3^rd, 6^th and 12^th day <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> post-infection. Different letters denote significant differences between collection times.</p

The modification of a laboratory cage: A plastic jar with small holes made for aeration and a plastic mesh sink strainer inserted into the lid allowing bees to take the food from a small petri dish placed below.

<p>The modification of a laboratory cage: A plastic jar with small holes made for aeration and a plastic mesh sink strainer inserted into the lid allowing bees to take the food from a small petri dish placed below.</p

Expression levels of genes for abaecin, apidaecin and vitellogenin in control (I) and IBW-1 group on different sampling days.

<p>IBW-1 group was infected with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> spores on 3^rd and treated with “BEEWELL AminoPlus” from 1^st day after emerging, while the control (I) was infected with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> but not treated. Bees were sampled for analyses on 3^rd, 6^th and 12^th day after the infection with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i>. Different letters denote significant differences between groups.</p

<i>Nosema</i> spore loads in control and groups treated with amino acid and vitamin complex “BEEWELL AminoPlus” on days 6 and 12 after the infection with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i>.

<p>Groups were infected with <i>N</i>. <i>ceranae</i> spores on 3^rd day after emerging and treated with “BEEWELL AminoPlus” from 1^st (I-BW1), 3^rd (I-BW3), 6^th (I-BW6) and 9^th (I-BW9) day after emerging, while the control (I) was infected but not treated. Different letters denote significant differences between groups.</p