Speaker
Description
Axions and axion-like particles (ALPs) are well-motivated dark matter candidates. We present the potential of the RES-NOVA experiment, originally designed for astrophysical neutrino detection via CEνNS, to probe axion interactions using ultra-low background cryogenic detectors based on archaeological Pb. RES-NOVA employs PbWO4 crystals grown from ultra-radiopure archaeological Pb and operated as cryogenic calorimeters at mK temperatures. The high atomic number of Pb enhances sensitivity to axion-induced processes such as the axio-electric effect, while the low energy threshold enables searches for rare absorption signals. As a direct detection experiment based on absorption, RES-NOVA is largely insensitive to the axion mass over a broad range, probing couplings rather than resonant conversions. This makes the experiment sensitive not only to electron couplings but also to photon couplings g_a-gamma. Although not optimized for resonant enhancement, this approach provides a more universal probe that naturally covers QCD axion models. We report the performance achieved in prototype runs and outline projected sensitivities for future large-scale deployment.
| Parallel session | New Physics Searches: Dark Matter and High-Frequency Gravitational Waves |
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