Speaker
Description
The axion was originally introduced in the 70s to explain the absence of CP-violating effects in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) through the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism. It is a pseudo-scalar boson whose mass and couplings to standard model particles are related to the energy scale where the so called Peccei and Quinn symmetry is broken. Several axion models have been proposed, with the common feature of low mass and very weak interactions, making this particle also an excellent Dark Matter candidate. Axions, and the related Axion Like Particles (ALPS), have been searched for in laboratory experiments since their proposal: a variety of uncommon techniques have been employed and new ones are also appearing in the literature with incredible frequency. In this talk I will briefly illustrate the main lines of experimental research for these elusive particles, and then discuss in more details the haloscopes, i.e. experiments to search for axion as a main component of our galaxy dark matter halo.
