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Detecting light axions from supernovae in nearby galaxies

Francesca Lecce1,2,*, Alessandro Lella1,2,†, Giuseppe Lucente3,‡, Maurizio Giannotti4,5,§, and Alessandro Mirizzi1,2,∥

  • *Contact author: francesca.lecce@ba.infn.it
  • †Contact author: alessandro.lella@ba.infn.it
  • ‡Contact author: lucenteg@slac.stanford.edu
  • §Contact author: mgiannotti@unizar.es
  • ∥Contact author: alessandro.mirizzi@ba.infn.it
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 063030 – Published 11 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6xp9-gcqx

Abstract

Axionlike particles (ALPs) coupled to nucleons can be efficiently produced in core-collapse supernovae (SNe) and then, if they couple to photons, convert into gamma rays in cosmic magnetic fields, generating short gamma-ray bursts. Though ALPs from a Galactic SN would induce an intense and easily detectable gamma-ray signal, such events are exceedingly rare. In contrast, a few SNe per year are expected in nearby galaxies within ∼O(10)  Mpc, where strong magnetic fields can enable more efficient ALP-photon conversions than in the Milky Way, offering a promising extragalactic target. This circumstance motivates full-sky gamma-ray monitoring, ideally combined with decihertz gravitational-wave detectors to enable time-triggered searches from nearby galaxies. We show that, under realistic conditions, a decade of coverage could reach sensitivities to the product of the ALP-proton and ALP-photon couplings gap×gaγ≳10−24  GeV−1 for ALP masses ma≲10−9  eV. This sensitivity would allow one to probe a large, currently unexplored region of the parameter space below the long-standing SN 1987A bound.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 063030– Published 11 September, 2026
  • Received 11 December 2025
  • Accepted 14 August 2026
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