Axions in astrophysics and cosmology

Conference · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6300273

Sikivie, P

Axion models often have a spontaneously broken exact discrete symmetry. In that case, they have discretely degenerate vacua and hence domain walls. The properties of the domain walls, the cosmological catastrophe they produce and the ways in which this catastrophe may be avoided are explained. Cosmology and astrophysics provide arguments that imply the axion decay constant should lie in the range 10/sup 8/ GeV less than or equal to f/sub a/ less than or equal to 10/sup 12/ GeV. Reasons are given why axions are an excellent candidate to constitute the dark matter of galactic halos. Using the coupling of the axions to the electromagnetic field, detectors are described to look for axions floating about in the halo of our galaxy and for axions emitted by the sun. (LEW)

• Research Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, CA (USA); Florida Univ., Gainesville (USA). Dept. of Physics
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 6300273
• Report Number(s): SLAC-PUB-3373; CONF-8405155-5; ON: DE85002720
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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645201 -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Theoretical-- General & Scattering Theory
645301* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Invariance Principles & Symmetries-- General-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ASTROPHYSICS
AXIONS
BOSONS
COSMOLOGY
COUPLING
DETECTION
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
GOLDSTONE BOSONS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
SYMMETRY BREAKING