Discovering Light Pseudoscalar Bosons in Double-Pulsar Observations

Abstract

The axion is just one from a general class of new particles -- called Light Pseudoscalar Bosons (LPBs) -- predicted by many realistic extensions of the Standard Model. We offer a somewhat pedagogical review of their main properties, with particular emphasis on the effects they induce in a light beam travelling in an external magnetic field, like photon-LPB oscillations, birefringence and dichroism. Moreover, we discuss a new strategy whereby LPBs can be discovered by high-precision observations of certain binary neutron-star systems. Basically, in a double pulsar seen almost edge-on, photon-LPB oscillations can give rise to a characteristic attenuation pattern of the light beam emitted by one of the pulsars when it goes through the magnetosphere of the companion. Depending on the actual values of the LPB mass and its two-photon coupling constant, the effect can be seen in the $\gamma$-ray band with the upcoming GLAST mission. We also shown that this method provides a remarkable cross-check for the recent claim by the PVLAS collaboration about the existence of a new LPB.