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Caputo, A. (2019). Radiative axion inflation. Phys. Lett. B, 797, 134824–7pp.
Abstract: Planck data robustly exclude the simple lambda phi(4) scenario for inflation. This is also the case for models of “Axion Inflation” in which the inflaton field is the radial part of the Peccei-Quinn complex scalar field. In this letter we show that for the KSVZ model it is possible to match the data taking into account radiative corrections to the tree level potential. After writing down the 1-loop Coleman-Weinberg potential, we show that a radiative plateau is easily generated thanks to the fact that the heavy quarks are charged under SU(3)(c) in order to solve the strong CP problem. We also give a numerical example for which the inflationary observables are computed and the heavy quarks are predicted to have a mass m(Q) greater than or similar to 10(2) TeV.
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Blas, D., Caputo, A., Ivanov, M. M., & Sberna, L. (2020). No chiral light bending by clumps of axion-like particles. Phys. Dark Universe, 27, 100428–4pp.
Abstract: We study the propagation of light in the presence of a parity-violating coupling between photons and axion-like particles (ALPs). Naively, this interaction could lead to a split of light rays into two separate beams of different polarization chirality and with different refraction angles. However, by using the eikonal method we explicitly show that this is not the case and that ALP clumps do not produce any spatial birefringence. This happens due to non-trivial variations of the photon's frequency and wavevector, which absorb time-derivatives and gradients of the ALP field. We argue that these variations represent a new way to probe the ALP-photon coupling with precision frequency measurements.
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Caputo, A., Esposito, A., Geoffray, E., Polosa, A. D., & Sun, S. C. (2020). Dark matter, dark photon and superfluid He-4 from effective field theory. Phys. Lett. B, 802, 135258–6pp.
Abstract: We consider a model of sub-GeV dark matter whose interaction with the Standard Model is mediated by a new vector boson (the dark photon) which couples kinetically to the photon. We describe the possibility of constraining such a model using a superfluid He-4 detector, by means of an effective theory for the description of the superfluid phonon. We find that such a detector could provide bounds that are competitive with other direct detection experiments only for ultralight vector mediator, in agreement with previous studies. As a byproduct we also present, for the first time, the low-energy effective field theory for the interaction between photons and phonons.
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Caputo, A., Zavala, J., & Blas, D. (2018). Binary pulsars as probes of a Galactic dark matter disk. Phys. Dark Universe, 19, 1–11.
Abstract: As a binary pulsar moves through a wind of dark matter particles, the resulting dynamical friction modifies the binary's orbit. We study this effect for the double disk dark matter (DDDM) scenario, where a fraction of the dark matter is dissipative and settles into a thin disk. For binaries within the dark disk, this effect is enhanced due to the higher dark matter density and lower velocity dispersion of the dark disk, and due to its co-rotation with the baryonic disk. We estimate the effect and compare it with observations for two different limits in the Knudsen number (Kn). First, in the case where DDDM is effectively collisionless within the characteristic scale of the binary (Kn >> 1) and ignoring the possible interaction between the pair of dark matter wakes. Second, in the fully collisional case (Kn << 1), where a fluid description can be adopted and the interaction of the pair of wakes is taken into account. We find that the change in the orbital period is of the same order of magnitude in both limits. A comparison with observations reveals good prospects to probe currently allowed DDDM models with timing data from binary pulsars in the near future. We finally comment on the possibility of extending the analysis to the intermediate (rarefied gas) case with Kn similar to 1.
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Caputo, A., Regis, M., Taoso, M., & Witte, S. J. (2019). Detecting the stimulated decay of axions at radio frequencies. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 03(3), 027–22pp.
Abstract: Assuming axion-like particles account for the entirety of the dark matter in the Universe, we study the possibility of detecting their decay into photons at radio frequencies. We discuss different astrophysical targets, such as dwarf spheroidal galaxies, the Galactic Center and halo, and galaxy clusters. The presence of an ambient radiation field leads to a stimulated enhancement of the decay rate; depending on the environment and the mass of the axion, the effect of stimulated emission may amplify the photon flux by serval orders of magnitude. For axion-photon couplings allowed by astrophysical and laboratory constraints (and possibly favored by stellar cooling), we find the signal to be within the reach of next-generation radio telescopes such as the Square Kilometer Array.
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