Artificial precision polarization array: Sensitivity for axionlike dark matter with clock satellites

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Authors: Hanyu Jiang, Baoyu Xu, Yun‐Long Zhang
Cited by: 0
References: 57

Abstract

The approaches to searching for axion-like signals based on pulsars include observations with pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) and pulsar polarization arrays (PPAs). However, these methods are limited by observational uncertainties arising from multiple unknown and periodic physical effects, which substantially complicate subsequent data analysis. To mitigate these issues and improve data fidelity, we propose the Artificial Pulsar Polarization Arrays (APPA): a satellite network comprising multiple pulsed signal transmitters and a dedicated receiver satellite. To constrain the axion-photon coupling parameter $g_{aγ}$, we generate simulated observations using Monte Carlo methods and investigate the sensitivity of APPA using two complementary approaches: Likelihood analysis and frequentist analysis. Simulations indicate that for the axion mass range of $10^{-22}-10^{-18}$ eV, APPA yields a tighter upper limit on $g_{aγ}$ (at the 95\% C.L.) than conventional ground-based observations, while also achieving superior detection sensitivity. Moreover, a larger spatial distribution scale of the satellite network corresponds to a greater advantage in detecting axions with lighter masses.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research

Publication details

Journal / source
Physical review. D/Physical review. D.
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Volume
113
Issue
11
Publication date
22 April 2026
Language
EN