Stellar Evolution Bounds on the ALP-Photon Coupling: new Results and Perspectives

Abstract

Stellar evolution considerations are of fundamental importance in our understanding of the axion/ALP-photon coupling, g_{a\gamma}. Helium burning stars are the best laboratories to study this coupling. Here, we will review the bounds from massive and low mass helium burning stars, and present a new analysis of the bound from the horizontal branch stars. The analysis provides the strongest bound to date on g_{a\gamma} in a wide mass range.

Comments: 4 pages, 1 figure. Contributed to the 10th Patras Workshop on Axions, WIMPs and WISPs, CERN, June 29 to July 4, 2014