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Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
Published on: November 15, 2013
Looking for light pseudoscalar bosons in the binary pulsar system J0737-3039
Arnaud Dupays1, Carlo Rizzo, Marco Roncadelli
1Laboratoire Collisions, Agrégats, Réactivité, IRSAMC, CNRS/UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France.
Physical Review Letters
|December 31, 2005
Summary
We found that light pseudoscalar bosons (LPBs) can significantly attenuate gamma-ray beams from the J0737-3039 binary pulsar. This effect, observable with the GLAST mission, depends on LPB mass and magnetic field strength.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics
- Particle Physics
- High-Energy Astronomy
Background:
- Binary pulsar systems like J0737-3039 offer unique environments to test fundamental physics.
- Strong magnetic fields in pulsar magnetospheres can mediate exotic particle interactions.
- Light pseudoscalar bosons (LPBs) are hypothetical particles that can convert to photons in magnetic fields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for LPB-photon oscillations in the J0737-3039 binary pulsar system.
- To determine if this phenomenon can be observed as an attenuation of pulsar emissions.
- To explore the dependence of this effect on LPB properties and system geometry.
Main Methods:
- Numerical calculations of photon-LPB conversion probability.
- Modeling the propagation of pulsar light through the companion's magnetosphere.
- Simulating observational signatures in the gamma-ray energy band.
Main Results:
- A sharp and significant (up to 50%) transition probability for LPB-photon conversion was found.
- The effect is observable in the gamma-ray domain (> tens of MeV) due to the edge-on orientation of J0737-3039.
- Attenuation is sensitive to LPB mass and the strength of its two-photon coupling.
Conclusions:
- The J0737-3039 system provides a promising target for detecting LPBs via gamma-ray attenuation.
- Future observations with missions like GLAST could constrain LPB properties.
- This study highlights the potential of astrophysical systems for discovering new fundamental particles.
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