Fast radio bursts from axion stars moving through pulsar magnetospheres

Abstract

We study the radio signals generated when an axion star enters the magnetosphere of a neutron star. As the axion star moves through the resonant region where the plasma-induced photon mass becomes equal to the axion mass, the axions can efficiently convert into photons, giving rise to an intense, transient radio signal. We show that a dense axion star with a mass $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ composed of $\ensuremath{\sim}10\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{eV}$ axions can account for most of the mysterious fast radio bursts.

Topics & Concepts