Search for Spectral Irregularities due to Photon-Axionlike-Particle Oscillations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Ajello M, Albert A, Anderson B, Baldini L, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Bellazzini R, Bissaldi E, Blandford RD, Bloom ED, Bonino R, Bottacini E, Bregeon J, Bruel P, Buehler R, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Caragiulo M, Caraveo PA, Cecchi C, Chekhtman A, Ciprini S, Cohen-Tanugi J, Conrad J, Costanza F, D'Ammando F, De Angelis A, De Palma F, Desiante R, Di Mauro M, Di Venere L, Dominguez A, Drell PS, Favuzzi C, Focke WB, Franckowiak A, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Giglietto N, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Guiriec S, Horan D, Johannesson G, Katsuragawa M, Kensei S, Kuss M, Larsson S, Latronico L, Li J, Li L, Longo F, Loparco F, Lubrano P, Madejski GM, Maldera S, Manfreda A, Mayer M, Mazziotta MN, Meyer M, Michelson PF, Mirabal N, Mizuno T, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Negro M, Nuss E, Okada C, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Paneque D, Perkins JS, Pesce-Rollins M, Piron F, Pivato G, Porter TA, Raino S, Rando R, Razzano M, Reimer A, Sanchez-Conde M, Sgro C, Simone D, Siskind EJ, Spada F, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Takahashi H, Thayer JB, Torres DF, Tosti G, Troja E, Uchiyama Y, Wood KS, Wood M, Zaharijas G, Zimmer S (2016)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2016

Journal

Publisher: American Physical Society

Book Volume: 116

Journal Issue: 16

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.161101

Abstract

We report on the search for spectral irregularities induced by oscillations between photons and axionlike-particles (ALPs) in the gamma-ray spectrum of NGC 1275, the central galaxy of the Perseus cluster. Using 6 years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data, we find no evidence for ALPs and exclude couplings above 5 x 10(-12) GeV-1 for ALP masses 0.5 less than or similar to m(a) less than or similar to 5 neV at 95% confidence. The limits are competitive with the sensitivity of planned laboratory experiments, and, together with other bounds, strongly constrain the possibility that ALPs can reduce the gamma-ray opacity of the Universe.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) Stanford University United States (USA) (US) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) Stockholm University / Stockholms universitet Sweden (SE) Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) Japan (JP) University of California Irvine United States (USA) (US) Hiroshima University / 広島大学 Japan (JP) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. United States (USA) (US) Stanford University United States (USA) (US) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) U.S. Naval Research Laboratory United States (USA) (US) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Germany (DE) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Clemson University United States (USA) (US) George Mason University United States (USA) (US) University of Udine / Università degli Studi di Udine Italy (IT) University of Iceland (UI) / Háskóli Íslands Iceland (IS) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) AlbaNova University Centre / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan AlbaNova Universitetscentrum Sweden (SE) Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) Spain (ES) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR)

How to cite

APA:

Ajello, M., Albert, A., Anderson, B., Baldini, L., Barbiellini, G., Bastieri, D.,... Zimmer, S. (2016). Search for Spectral Irregularities due to Photon-Axionlike-Particle Oscillations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Physical Review Letters, 116(16). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.161101

MLA:

Ajello, M., et al. "Search for Spectral Irregularities due to Photon-Axionlike-Particle Oscillations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope." Physical Review Letters 116.16 (2016).

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