Constraining axion-like particles using the white dwarf initial-final mass relation

Abstract

Axion-like particles (ALPs), a class of pseudoscalars common to many extensions of the Standard Model, have the capacity to drain energy from the interiors of stars. Consequently, stellar evolution can be used to derive many constraints on ALPs. We study the influence that keV-MeV scale ALPs which interact exclusively with photons can exert on the helium-burning shells of asymptotic giant branch stars, the late-life evolutionary phase of stars with initial masses less than 8M . We establish the sensitivity of the final stellar mass to such energy-loss for ALPs with masses currently permitted by stellar evolution bounds. A semi-empirical constraint on the white dwarf initial-final mass relation (IFMR) derived from observation of double white dwarf binaries is then used to exclude part of a currently unconstrained region of ALP parameter space, the cosmological triangle. The derived constraint relaxes when the ALP decay length becomes shorter than the width of the helium-burning shell. Other potential sources for stellar constraints on ALPs are also discussed.

Astroparticle Physics with Compact Objects

“…Properties of the IFMR were studied recently in [140]. These authors slightly improve constraints in comparison to those obtained from helium burning (so-called horizontal branch) stars.…”

“…This excludes massive axion-like particles in the range ∼1-100 keV with axion-photon coupling constant g aγγ 10 −10 GeV −1 . In [140], the authors enlarge the forbidden area in the region of so-called cosmological triangle with axion masses about hundreds of keV and coupling constant ∼10 −5 GeV −1 analyzing helium core growth at the asymptotic giant branch stage.…”

“…In [140], the authors used the IFMR based on 14 double WD wide binary systems. This IFMR covers the range progenitor masses from 2 up to 7M .…”

Astrophysical and Cosmological Probes of Dark Matter

“…New particle emission, gravitational trapping of dark matter, or dark matter coevolution all could change this mass scale [317][318][319][320][321][322]. Theory frontier activities in the stellar domain promise to illuminate new, weakly-coupled particles that are not probed by other mechanisms [323].…”

Astroparticle physics with compact objects

“…This excludes massive axion-like particles in the range ∼ 1 − 100 keV with axion-photon coupling constant g aγγ 10 −10 GeV −1 . In [140] the authors enlarge the forbidden area in the region of so-called cosmological triangle with axion masses about hundreds of keV and coupling constant ∼ 10 −5 GeV −1 analysing helium core growth at the asymptotic giant branch stage.…”