Search for GeV-scale axion-like particles in PbPb collisions

@misc{collaboration2026search,
  title = {{Search for $\mathrmGeV$-scale axion-like particles in PbPb collisions}},
  author = {LHCb collaboration and R. Aaij and M. Abdelfatah and A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb and C. Abellan Beteta and F. Abudinén and T. Ackernley and A. A. Adefisoye and B. Adeva and M. Adinolfi and P. Adlarson and C. Agapopoulou and C. A. Aidala and S. Akar and K. Akiba and H. Al Saleh and P. Albicocco and J. Albrecht and R. Aleksiejunas and F. Alessio and P. Alvarez Cartelle and S. Amato and J. L. Amey and Y. Amhis and Z. Amos and L. An and L. Anderlini and P. Andreola and M. Andreotti and S. Andres Estrada and A. Anelli and D. Ao and C. Arata and F. Archilli and Z. Areg and M. Argenton and S. Arguedas Cuendis and L. Arnone and M. Artuso and E. Aslanides and R. Ataíde Da Silva and M. Atzeni and B. Audurier and J. A. Authier and D. Bacher and I. Bachiller Perea and S. Bachmann and M. Bachmayer and J. J. Back and M. Bai and Z. B. Bai and V. Balagura and A. Balboni and W. Baldini and Z. Baldwin and L. Balzani and H. Bao and J. Baptista de Souza Leite and C. Barbero Pretel and M. Barbetti},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2611.00135},
  eprint = {2611.00135},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.00135},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Search for GeV-scale axion-like particles in PbPb collisions
AU  - LHCb collaboration
AU  - R. Aaij
AU  - M. Abdelfatah
AU  - A. S. W. Abdelmotteleb
AU  - C. Abellan Beteta
AU  - F. Abudinén
AU  - T. Ackernley
AU  - A. A. Adefisoye
AU  - B. Adeva
AU  - M. Adinolfi
AU  - P. Adlarson
AU  - C. Agapopoulou
AU  - C. A. Aidala
AU  - S. Akar
AU  - K. Akiba
AU  - H. Al Saleh
AU  - P. Albicocco
AU  - J. Albrecht
AU  - R. Aleksiejunas
AU  - F. Alessio
AU  - P. Alvarez Cartelle
AU  - S. Amato
AU  - J. L. Amey
AU  - Y. Amhis
AU  - Z. Amos
AU  - L. An
AU  - L. Anderlini
AU  - P. Andreola
AU  - M. Andreotti
AU  - S. Andres Estrada
AU  - A. Anelli
AU  - D. Ao
AU  - C. Arata
AU  - F. Archilli
AU  - Z. Areg
AU  - M. Argenton
AU  - S. Arguedas Cuendis
AU  - L. Arnone
AU  - M. Artuso
AU  - E. Aslanides
AU  - R. Ataíde Da Silva
AU  - M. Atzeni
AU  - B. Audurier
AU  - J. A. Authier
AU  - D. Bacher
AU  - I. Bachiller Perea
AU  - S. Bachmann
AU  - M. Bachmayer
AU  - J. J. Back
AU  - M. Bai
AU  - Z. B. Bai
AU  - V. Balagura
AU  - A. Balboni
AU  - W. Baldini
AU  - Z. Baldwin
AU  - L. Balzani
AU  - H. Bao
AU  - J. Baptista de Souza Leite
AU  - C. Barbero Pretel
AU  - M. Barbetti
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/01
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2611.00135
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.00135
AB  - A search is performed for the production of axion-like particles with masses in the range 3-10 GeV using PbPb collision data recorded by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.228 nb^−1 and a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of √(s_NN)=5.02 TeV. This is the first search for axion-like particles produced exclusively by two photons (γγ→ a→γγ) in the forward direction. It extends sensitivity to previously unexplored regions of the parameter space, probing axion-like particle masses and couplings down to 3.0 GeV and 3.2×10^−4 GeV^−1, respectively. This result provides the most stringent limits to date on the production of axion-like particles from exclusive photon-photon fusion processes with masses between 3 and 5 GeV.
ER  -