Axionlike-particle generation by laser-plasma interaction

Abstract

Axion, a hypothetical particle that is crucial to quantum chromodynamics and dark matter theory, has not yet been found in any experiment. With the improvement of laser technique, much stronger quasi-static electric and magnetic fields can be created in laboratory using laser-plasma interaction. In this article, we discuss the feasibility of axion or axionlike-particle's exploring experiments using planar and cylindrically symmetric laser-plasma fields as backgrounds while probing with an ultrafast superstrong optical laser or x-ray free-electron laser with high photon number. Compared to classical magnet design, the axion source in laser-plasma interaction trades the accumulating length for the source's interacting strength. Besides, a structured field in the plasma creates a tunable transverse profile of the interaction and improves the signal-noise ratio via the mechanisms such as phase-matching. The mass of axion discussed in this article ranges from 1 \textmu eV to 1 eV. Some simple schemes and estimations of axion production and probe's polarization rotation are given, which reveals the possibility of future laser-plasma axion source in laboratory.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure