Axion discovery opportunities: from microwaves to high energy astrophysics
Pasquale Dario Serpico
CERN
Wed, Jan. 07th 2009, 14:15
Salle Claude Itzykson, Bât. 774, Orme des Merisiers
The Peccei-Quinn mechanism remains probably the most compelling explanation of the CP problem of QCD. An inevitable consequence of this mechanism is the existence of axions, light pseudo Nambu-Goldstone bosons which may play a relevant role in astrophysics and cosmology. After an introduction to the topic, I'll present a brief overview of current direct and indirect searches. Finally, I'll discuss some effects that axions (or axion-like particles) might have on the spectra of high-energy astrophysical gamma-ray sources with interesting observational perspectives.
Contact : mcirelli