{"paper":{"title":"Detecting the Axion-Photon Conversion Background","license":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/","headline":"A collective radio background from axion conversion in galactic neutron star magnetospheres reaches detectable levels with current telescopes.","cross_cats":[],"primary_cat":"astro-ph.HE","authors_text":"Felix Weber, Vikram Ravi","submitted_at":"2026-05-14T17:57:21Z","abstract_excerpt":"The potential to detect axion dark matter through astrophysical processes has shown high promise in recent years. We therefore expand on previous work studying the axion-to-photon conversion efficacy of neutron stars and the interstellar medium (ISM) in this endeavor, respectively. For neutron stars (NS), we examine the possibility of a background signal emanating from all NS magnetospheres in the galaxy. Using a heuristic Galactic model, we find a significant background signal emanating from such magnetospheres in the Milky Way. This signal, while weak in absolute power ($\\gtrsim 1$ mJy sr$^{"},"claims":{"count":4,"items":[{"kind":"strongest_claim","text":"we find a significant background signal emanating from such magnetospheres in the Milky Way. This signal, while weak in absolute power (≳ 1 mJy sr^{-1} from the Galactic Center, at 2 GHz), can be detected through new statistical techniques with current instrumentation like the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) at high radio frequencies (200 - 950 GHz).","source":"verdict.strongest_claim","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C1","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"weakest_assumption","text":"The heuristic Galactic model accurately captures the spatial distribution, number density, and magnetospheric properties of neutron stars, and the axion-photon conversion efficiencies derived in prior work apply without significant modification to the integrated galactic population.","source":"verdict.weakest_assumption","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C2","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"one_line_summary","text":"Neutron star magnetospheres across the Milky Way produce a faint but statistically detectable axion-photon conversion radio background, while interstellar medium signals are too weak for current instruments.","source":"verdict.one_line_summary","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C3","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"headline","text":"A collective radio background from axion conversion in galactic neutron star magnetospheres reaches detectable levels with current telescopes.","source":"verdict.pith_extraction.headline","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C4","attestation":"unclaimed"}],"snapshot_sha256":"470af7e84ff00438f075fd28bdecb8fc9ff65285b2f9d42d836edc16c8438532"},"source":{"id":"2605.15175","kind":"arxiv","version":1},"verdict":{"id":"a29f786c-63df-4796-98ac-75ac34f3e670","model_set":{"reader":"grok-4.3"},"created_at":"2026-05-15T02:52:38.299061Z","strongest_claim":"we find a significant background signal emanating from such magnetospheres in the Milky Way. This signal, while weak in absolute power (≳ 1 mJy sr^{-1} from the Galactic Center, at 2 GHz), can be detected through new statistical techniques with current instrumentation like the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) at high radio frequencies (200 - 950 GHz).","one_line_summary":"Neutron star magnetospheres across the Milky Way produce a faint but statistically detectable axion-photon conversion radio background, while interstellar medium signals are too weak for current instruments.","pipeline_version":"pith-pipeline@v0.9.0","weakest_assumption":"The heuristic Galactic model accurately captures the spatial distribution, number density, and magnetospheric properties of neutron stars, and the axion-photon conversion efficiencies derived in prior work apply without significant modification to the integrated galactic population.","pith_extraction_headline":"A collective radio background from axion conversion in galactic neutron star magnetospheres reaches detectable levels with current telescopes."},"references":{"count":40,"sample":[{"doi":"","year":2018,"title":"P Log-Uniform P1 2 ms P2 15 ms ρ2 χ2 k 2 σρ 5 kpc z Exponential z0 1 kpc B Log-Normal µB 12.5 [log10 G] σB 0.7 [log10 G] TABLE I","work_id":"be897367-eb2a-4d41-8f0d-c5898cb83442","ref_index":1,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false},{"doi":"","year":null,"title":"ˆµn q r N An #1/n where: (A3) An =    (2n)! 2nn! if n is odd, 1 2nn!","work_id":"25153882-809e-4f01-a7e5-f8828546b591","ref_index":2,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false},{"doi":"","year":1933,"title":"Zwicky, Die Rotverschiebung von extragalaktischen Nebeln, Helvetica Physica Acta6, 110 (1933)","work_id":"03cb1792-94e2-418f-82e6-466031bf85e7","ref_index":3,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false},{"doi":"","year":1977,"title":"R. D. Peccei and H. R. Quinn, CP conservation in the presence of pseudoparticles, Phys. Rev. Lett.38, 1440 (1977)","work_id":"0f8942b8-53de-4aff-9117-10762850ddde","ref_index":4,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false},{"doi":"","year":1978,"title":"Wilczek, Problem of strong P and T invariance in the presence of instantons, Phys","work_id":"7d0839d0-3bd6-488a-a46c-14810896c28d","ref_index":5,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false}],"resolved_work":40,"snapshot_sha256":"2143ebff139f7dbde0c02564738ce8346d4e4c9e47fc48a5d720d575c2011f76","internal_anchors":2},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":2,"snapshot_sha256":"d8e1433c31b8764c7217c7d770079b94c3bea49815d5553ea33b867b76205d29"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}