Constraining MeV-scale axionlike particles with Fermi-LAT observations of SN 2023ixf

• The Fermi-LAT observations of SN 2023ixf, a type II supernova in the nearby Pinwheel Galaxy, Messier 101 (M101), presents us with an excellent opportunity to constrain MeV-scale axionlike particles (ALPs). By examining the photon decay signature from heavy ALPs that could be produced in the explosion, the existing constraints on the ALP-photon coupling can be improved, under optimistic assumptions, by up to a factor of ∼2 for masses ma≲3  MeV. Under very conservative assumptions, we find a bound that is slightly weaker than the existing ones for ma≲0.5  MeV. The exact reach of these searches depends mostly on properties of the SN progenitor. This study demonstrates the relevance of core-collapse supernovae, also beyond the Magellanic Clouds, as probes of fundamental physics.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology (hsv//eng)

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