Search for Axionlike-Particle-Induced Prompt Gamma-Ray Emission from Extragalactic Core-Collapse Supernovae with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Abstract

During a core-collapse supernova (SN), axionlike particles (ALPs) could be produced through the Primakoff process and subsequently convert into $\gamma$ rays in the magnetic field of the Milky Way. We do not find evidence for such a $\gamma$-ray burst in observations of extragalactic SNe with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). The SN explosion times are estimated from optical light curves and we find a probability of about $\sim$90% that the LAT observed at least one SN at the time of the core collapse. Under the assumption that at least one SN was contained within the LAT field of view, we exclude photon-ALP couplings $\gtrsim 2.6\times 10^{-11}$GeV${}^{-1}$ for ALP masses $m_a\lesssim 3\times 10^{-10}$ eV, within a factor of $\sim 5$ of previous limits from SN1987A.

Comments: Published in Physical Review Letters. Includes Supplemental Material. 8+18 pages. Updated version fixes bug that overestimated the ALP flux. Constraints and conclusions have been updated (erratum is published). Version fixes typos in ArXiv version