Multimessenger Constraints on Radiatively Decaying Axions from GW170817
Melissa D. Diamond, Damiano F. G. Fiorillo, Gustavo Marques-Tavares, Irene Tamborra, Edoardo Vitagliano
Abstract
The metastable hypermassive neutron star produced in the coalescence of two neutron stars can copiously produce axions that radiatively decay into O(100) MeV photons. These photons can form a fireball with characteristic temperature smaller than 1 MeV. By relying on x-ray observations of GW170817/GRB 170817A with CALET CGBM, Konus-Wind, and Insight-HXMT/HE, we present new bounds on the axion-photon coupling for axion masses in the range 1-400 MeV. We exclude couplings down to 5×10^{-11} GeV^{-1}, complementing and surpassing existing constraints. Our approach can be extended to any feebly interacting particle decaying into photons.
Topics & Concepts
PhysicsAxionNeutron starPhotonParticle physicsAstrophysicsAtomic physicsDark matterQuantum mechanicsPulsars and Gravitational Waves ResearchGamma-ray bursts and supernovaeDark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena