Searching for Axion-like particle Dark Matter with Time-domain Polarization: Constraints from a protoplanetary disk
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866915801858048000 |
|---|---|
| author | Narita, Kanako Fujita, Tomohiro Tazaki, Ryo Hatsukade, Bunyo |
| author_facet | Narita, Kanako Fujita, Tomohiro Tazaki, Ryo Hatsukade, Bunyo |
| contents | Axion-like particles (ALPs) can induce a birefringence effect that rotates the polarization angle of light, offering a probe of ultralight dark matter. We analyze archival near-infrared polarimetric data of the protoplanetary disk (PPD) around HD 163296. Whereas previous studies considered only single-epoch snapshots, we perform a consistent multi-epoch time-series analysis, extracting the polarization angle and its uncertainty from the polarized images. The resulting six-epoch time series is consistent with a constant polarization angle within the measurement uncertainties, while being sensitive to timescales of $\sim 170-400$ days. The typical polarization angle uncertainties are $1.6$--$6.4$ degrees, partly driven by multiple scattering in the optically thick disk, which broadens the intrinsic polarization angle distribution and introduces additional dispersion in the representative polarization angle. Based on these data, we derive the first upper limits on the ALP-photon coupling from PPD polarization variability, $g_{aγ} \lesssim 7.5 \times 10^{-12} (m_a / 10^{-22}\,{\rm eV})\,{\rm GeV}^{-1}$. Furthermore, we forecast that achieving a polarization angle uncertainty of $σ\sim 0.1$ degrees would enable world-leading sensitivity to ALP-induced birefringence. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_15611 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Searching for Axion-like particle Dark Matter with Time-domain Polarization: Constraints from a protoplanetary disk Narita, Kanako Fujita, Tomohiro Tazaki, Ryo Hatsukade, Bunyo Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Axion-like particles (ALPs) can induce a birefringence effect that rotates the polarization angle of light, offering a probe of ultralight dark matter. We analyze archival near-infrared polarimetric data of the protoplanetary disk (PPD) around HD 163296. Whereas previous studies considered only single-epoch snapshots, we perform a consistent multi-epoch time-series analysis, extracting the polarization angle and its uncertainty from the polarized images. The resulting six-epoch time series is consistent with a constant polarization angle within the measurement uncertainties, while being sensitive to timescales of $\sim 170-400$ days. The typical polarization angle uncertainties are $1.6$--$6.4$ degrees, partly driven by multiple scattering in the optically thick disk, which broadens the intrinsic polarization angle distribution and introduces additional dispersion in the representative polarization angle. Based on these data, we derive the first upper limits on the ALP-photon coupling from PPD polarization variability, $g_{aγ} \lesssim 7.5 \times 10^{-12} (m_a / 10^{-22}\,{\rm eV})\,{\rm GeV}^{-1}$. Furthermore, we forecast that achieving a polarization angle uncertainty of $σ\sim 0.1$ degrees would enable world-leading sensitivity to ALP-induced birefringence. |
| title | Searching for Axion-like particle Dark Matter with Time-domain Polarization: Constraints from a protoplanetary disk |
| topic | Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Phenomenology |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.15611 |