Axion-like particles in radiative quarkonia decays

Abstract

Radiative quarkonia decays offer an ideal setting for probing Axion-Like Particle (ALP) interactions. This paper provides a comprehensive review of ALP production mechanisms through the e+e− → γa process at B- and Charm-factories, alongside an analysis of potential ALP decay channels. We derive constraints on ALP couplings to Standard Model (SM) fields, based on recent experimental results on quarkonia decays by the Belle II and BESIII collaborations. The analysis distinguishes between “invisible” and “visible” ALP decay scenarios. The “invisible” scenario, characterised by a mono-γ plus missing-energy signature, enables stringent limits on ALP-photon and ALP-quark (b or c) couplings. Moreover, extensive research at flavour factories has explored various “visible” ALP decays into SM final states, which depend on a larger set of ALP-SM couplings. To streamline the “visible” ALP scenario, we introduce additional theoretical assumptions, such as universal ALP-fermion couplings, or we adopt specific benchmark ALP models, aiming to minimise the number of independent variables in our analysis.