Improving Statistical Sensitivity of X-ray Searches for Axion-Like Particles

Understand

X-ray observations of bright AGNs in or behind galaxy clusters offer unique capabilities to constrain axion-like particles (ALPs).

• Existing analysis technique rely on measurements of the global goodness-of-fit.
• We develop a new analysis methodology that improves the statistical sensitivity to ALP-photon oscillations by isolating the characteristic quasi-sinusoidal modulations induced by ALPs.
• This involves analysing residuals in wavelength space allowing the Fourier structure to be made manifest as well as a machine learning approach.