A power spectrum approach to the search for axion-like particles from resolved galaxy clusters using CMB as a backlight

Abstract

Axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) are hypothetical particles predicted by beyond standard model theories, which make one of the dark matter candidates. These particles can convert into photons and vice-versa in the presence of a magnetic field, with a probability decided by its coupling strength gaγ. One of the ways to detect these particles is by using the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) as a backlight. As the CMB photons pass through a galaxy cluster, they can get converted into ALPs in the mass range 10-15 eV to 10-11 eV through resonant conversion in the presence of cluster magnetic fields. This leads to a polarized spectral distortion (α-distortion) in the CMB as the photon polarization parallel to the magnetic field in the galaxy cluster is involved in the conversion. The fluctuations in the magnetic field and electron density in a galaxy cluster lead to spatially varying α-distortion around the cluster, with a power spectrum that is different from the lensed E-mode and B-mode CMB polarization power spectrum for the standard model of cosmology. By measuring the difference in the polarization power spectrum around a galaxy cluster from the all-sky signal, one can find new α-distortion in the sky. For the resolved galaxy clusters, if the redshift, electron density, and magnetic field profiles of the cluster can be constrained using optical, X-ray, and radio observations, one can measure the coupling strength gaγ from the ALP power spectrum. The contamination from CMB and galactic foregrounds such as synchrotron and dust can be mitigated by using multiple frequency bands by leveraging on the difference in the spectral shape of the signal from foregrounds. Using the ILC technique to clean the foregrounds, we show that the new power spectrum-based approach of the resolved galaxy clusters from upcoming CMB experiments such as Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 can detect (or put constraints) on the ALP-photon coupling strength of gaγ < 5.2 × 10-12 GeV-1 and gaγ < 3.6 × 10-12 GeV-1 at 95% C.I. respectively for ALPs of masses 10-13 eV or for smaller gaγ for lighter ALP masses.