Constraining fundamental constant variations from ultralight dark matter with pulsar timing arrays
Constraining fundamental constant variations from ultralight dark matter with pulsar timing arrays
复制标题
DOI：
10.1103/physrevd.106.035032
复制
发表时间：
2022-05
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
D. Kaplan;A. Mitridate;T. Trickle
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
D. Kaplan;A. Mitridate;T. Trickle
脉冲星定时阵列（pta）是在nHz < ~ f < ~µHz频段内异常敏感的探测器。超轻暗物质（ULDM）的质量范围在10−23 eV < ~ m φ < ~ 10−20 eV，是已知在该频率窗内产生信号的一类DM模型。虽然以前已经研究过纯ULDM的引力特征，但在这项工作中，我们考虑了在ULDM和普通物质之间存在直接耦合的pta中的两个信号。这些耦合引起基本常数的变化，即粒子质量和耦合。这些变化可以改变脉冲星的转动惯量，通过角动量守恒引起脉冲星的自旋波动，或者由于参考时钟移位引起的表观时序残差。通过使用模拟当前PTA数据集的模拟数据，我们表明PTA实验优于与电子、μ子或胶子耦合的ULDM的扭转平衡和原子钟约束。在与夸克或光子耦合的情况下，我们发现pta和原子钟设置了类似的约束。此外，我们讨论了未来的PTAs如何进一步改善这些限制，并详细介绍了这些信号相对于先前研究的ULDM对PTAs的影响的独特特性。
Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) are exceptionally sensitive detectors in the frequency band nHz < ∼ f < ∼ µ Hz. Ultralight dark matter (ULDM), with mass in the range 10 − 23 eV < ∼ m φ < ∼ 10 − 20 eV, is one class of DM models known to generate signals in this frequency window. While purely gravitational signatures of ULDM have been studied previously, in this work we consider two signals in PTAs which arise in presence of direct couplings between ULDM and ordinary matter. These couplings induce variations in fundamental constants, i.e., particle masses and couplings. These variations can alter the moment of inertia of pulsars, inducing pulsar spin fluctuations via conservation of angular momentum, or induce apparent timing residuals due to reference clock shifts. By using mock data mimicking current PTA datasets, we show that PTA experiments outperform torsion balance and atomic clock constraints for ULDM coupled to electrons, muons, or gluons. In the case of coupling to quarks or photons, we find that PTAs and atomic clocks set similar constraints. Additionally, we discuss how future PTAs can further improve these constraints, and detail the unique properties of these signals relative to the previously studied effects of ULDM on PTAs.