Periodic Reporting for period 1 - AxiTools (Studying the landscape of axion models and providing software tools for the next generation of axion searches)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action “AxiTools” investigated hypothetical particles called axions, gaining new theoretical insights and developing open-source software tools in the process. Axions are fundamental particles – somewhat similar to the Higgs boson, which was discovered in 2012 – and may explain current mysteries of the Universe, such as the origin of dark matter or why neutrons are close to perfectly “round”.
The Action contributed to the growing efforts to prove the axion’s existence in experimental searches. For instance, by studying axion models within constraints set by cosmological considerations, a new catalogue of possible models was produced, which can provide targets for future experiments. Should axions be detected, the catalogue may also allow the study of the axion’s fundamental properties and move Physics one puzzle piece closer to a “theory of everything”. Moreover, concrete experimental strategies were put forward to prove that axions are indeed the main constituent of the dark matter in the Universe.
While these are fundamental and fascinating insights, there are also more practical applications for axions beyond theoretical curiosity. The Action provides one such use case: it was demonstrated that axions could infer the solar temperature profile, i.e. measure the temperature across the Sun’s interior. The enclosed graphic shows that the temperature values inferred from a strong axion detection (black dots and bars) would closely match the underlying solar model (orange line). While the central temperature of the Sun is already known from neutrino detectors, the possibility of deducing the temperature at different points inside the Sun would be a unique advantage of axions as probes of physical systems.
Apart from illuminating the theoretical and practical role of axions, the Action’s open-science approach also contributed new software codes and datasets that can help other scientists to study and, hopefully, one day detect axions.
The Action contributed to the growing efforts to prove the axion’s existence in experimental searches. For instance, by studying axion models within constraints set by cosmological considerations, a new catalogue of possible models was produced, which can provide targets for future experiments. Should axions be detected, the catalogue may also allow the study of the axion’s fundamental properties and move Physics one puzzle piece closer to a “theory of everything”. Moreover, concrete experimental strategies were put forward to prove that axions are indeed the main constituent of the dark matter in the Universe.
While these are fundamental and fascinating insights, there are also more practical applications for axions beyond theoretical curiosity. The Action provides one such use case: it was demonstrated that axions could infer the solar temperature profile, i.e. measure the temperature across the Sun’s interior. The enclosed graphic shows that the temperature values inferred from a strong axion detection (black dots and bars) would closely match the underlying solar model (orange line). While the central temperature of the Sun is already known from neutrino detectors, the possibility of deducing the temperature at different points inside the Sun would be a unique advantage of axions as probes of physical systems.
Apart from illuminating the theoretical and practical role of axions, the Action’s open-science approach also contributed new software codes and datasets that can help other scientists to study and, hopefully, one day detect axions.
- Investigations of axion interactions inside the Sun and how upcoming experimental searches can be used to study the Sun’s properties after an axion discovery.
- Extension of the landscape of possible axion models with cosmological considerations and creation of a new catalogue of models, which may provide new search targets for future experiments.
- Since an axion discovery by itself cannot necessarily prove that axions are dark matter, a gap was filled in the literature by proposing ambitious experiments inside a very long tunnel to confirm that axions are a significant part of the dark matter in the Universe.
- One of the Action's studies improved the statistical methodology that is used to narrow down the properties of axions that may exist around black holes.
- The Action developed open-source software tools and open-access datasets, thus promoting the various kinds of open-science practices that play an increasingly important role in scientific discoveries.
- Extension of the landscape of possible axion models with cosmological considerations and creation of a new catalogue of models, which may provide new search targets for future experiments.
- Since an axion discovery by itself cannot necessarily prove that axions are dark matter, a gap was filled in the literature by proposing ambitious experiments inside a very long tunnel to confirm that axions are a significant part of the dark matter in the Universe.
- One of the Action's studies improved the statistical methodology that is used to narrow down the properties of axions that may exist around black holes.
- The Action developed open-source software tools and open-access datasets, thus promoting the various kinds of open-science practices that play an increasingly important role in scientific discoveries.
- Concrete proposals for experimental avenues after an axion detection, namely towards “ultimate” axion searches that prove that axions are the dark matter and for studying the Sun with axions, fill a gap in the literature and open up new research directions. Newly developed open-source software code makes it possible for others to expand this work and, in fact, results from the Action have already been used by the leading experimental collaboration in this field.
- The updated axion model catalogue connects axion model building with the possibility of a richer cosmological history of the Universe than the standard picture. The dataset containing the model catalogue is publicly available and can inform both further theoretical research and the development of experimental search strategies.
- The updated axion model catalogue connects axion model building with the possibility of a richer cosmological history of the Universe than the standard picture. The dataset containing the model catalogue is publicly available and can inform both further theoretical research and the development of experimental search strategies.