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PV: Plenarvorträge

PV IX

PV IX: Plenary Talk

Friday, March 25, 2022, 09:00–09:45, Audimax

Shedding light on the axion: one particle solving two problems — •Friederike Januschek — Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany

Very lightweight and feebly interacting new bosons like the axion, originally introduced to solve the strong CP problem of QCD, or axion-like particles (ALPs) predicted by theories beyond the standard model, have been found to also be viable cold dark matter candidates. Thus, the existence of axions and axion-like particles has a particular appeal theoretically –and is additionally supported by experimental hints.

Worldwide, experiments have been and continue to employ creative methods to look for these –previously considered invisible– particles and promise to shed further light onto them. At DESY in Hamburg, the ALPS II experiment, a light-shining-through-walls experiment in the laboratory, is close to data-taking. The planned (Baby)IAXO and MADMAX experiments are complementary experiments that will search for axions and ALPs from the sun and dark matter halo, respectively.

In this talk, I will give an introduction to axions and discuss strategies for detecting them, focusing on activities at DESY.