Ponente
Descripción
Axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) are hypothetical particles predicted by several extensions of the Standard Model and compelling dark matter candidates. Their conversion into photons in the presence of magnetic fields can leave distinctive imprints on the photon spectra of astrophysical sources. In gamma-ray astronomy, photon-ALP conversions may produce observable energy-dependent features from GeV to TeV energies. In this study, we search for these signatures in the spectra of four blazars — Mrk 421, Mrk 501, BL Lacertae, and 1ES 1959+650 — using the first Large-Sized Telescope (LST-1) of the future Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). Our photon-ALP conversion model includes magnetic fields in the relativistic jets, attenuation from the extragalactic background light, and the magnetic field of the Milky Way. Results from individual sources are combined at the likelihood level to derive joint constraints on the ALP parameter space.
