7 research outputs found
Axion interpretation of the PVLAS data?
The PVLAS collaboration has recently reported the observation of a rotation
of the polarization plane of light propagating through a transverse static
magnetic field. Such an effect can arise from the production of a light, m_A ~
meV, pseudoscalar coupled to two photons with coupling strength g_{A\gamma} ~
5x10^{-6} GeV^{-1}. Here, we review these experimental findings, discuss how
astrophysical and helioscope bounds on this coupling can be evaded, and
emphasize some experimental proposals to test the scenario.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, jpconf.cls, talk presented at the ninth
International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics,
TAUP 2005, Zaragoza, Spain, September 10-14, 200
Aspects of Axion Phenomenology in a slice of AdS_5
Motivated by multi-throat considerations, we study the phenomenological
implications of a bulk axion in a slice of AdS_5 with a large extra dimension:
k~0.01 eV, kR > 1. In particular, we compare axion physics with a warped
geometry to axions in flat compactifications. As in flat compactification
scenarios, we find that the mass of the axion can become independent from the
underlying Peccei-Quinn scale. Surprisingly, we find that in warped extra
dimensions the axion's invisibility, cosmological viability, and basic
phenomenology remain essentially unaltered in comparison to axions in flat
compactifications.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure
Axions, their Relatives and Prospects for the Future
The observation of a non-vanishing rotation of linear polarized laser light
after passage through a strong magnetic field by the PVLAS collaboration has
renewed the interest in light particles coupled to photons. Axions are a
species of such particles that is theoretically well motivated. However, the
relation between coupling and mass predicted by standard axion models conflicts
with the PVLAS observation. Moreover, light particles with a coupling to
photons of the strength required to explain PVLAS face trouble from
astrophysical bounds. We discuss models that can avoid these bounds. Finally,
we present some ideas to test these possible explanations of PVLAS
experimentally.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Contributed to the ``Third Symposium on Large
TPCs for Low Energy Rare Event Detection'' in Paris, December 200
External Fields as a Probe for Fundamental Physics
Quantum vacuum experiments are becoming a flexible tool for investigating
fundamental physics. They are particularly powerful for searching for new light
but weakly interacting degrees of freedom and are thus complementary to
accelerator-driven experiments. I review recent developments in this field,
focusing on optical experiments in strong electromagnetic fields. In order to
characterize potential optical signatures, I discuss various low-energy
effective actions which parameterize the interaction of particle-physics
candidates with optical photons and external electromagnetic fields.
Experiments with an electromagnetized quantum vacuum and optical probes do not
only have the potential to collect evidence for new physics, but
special-purpose setups can also distinguish between different particle-physics
scenarios and extract information about underlying microscopic properties.Comment: 12 pages, plenary talk at QFEXT07, Leipzig, September 200
Dark Matter Candidates: A Ten-Point Test
An extraordinarily rich zoo of non-baryonic Dark Matter candidates has been
proposed over the last three decades. Here we present a 10-point test that a
new particle has to pass, in order to be considered a viable DM candidate: I.)
Does it match the appropriate relic density? II.) Is it {\it cold}? III.) Is it
neutral? IV.) Is it consistent with BBN? V.) Does it leave stellar evolution
unchanged? VI.) Is it compatible with constraints on self-interactions? VII.)
Is it consistent with {\it direct} DM searches? VIII.) Is it compatible with
gamma-ray constraints? IX.) Is it compatible with other astrophysical bounds?
X.) Can it be probed experimentally?Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure