Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cornell.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!houxm!houxz!vax135!cornell!dietz From: dietz@cornell.UUCP (Paul Dietz) Newsgroups: net.physics Subject: What are axions? Message-ID: <483@cornell.UUCP> Date: Sun, 17-Jun-84 20:57:34 EDT Article-I.D.: cornell.483 Posted: Sun Jun 17 20:57:34 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 05:40:26 EDT Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept. Lines: 15 [...] I've read about certain hypothetical elementary particles called axions. Can some physics guru tell me just what these things are? Here's what I've heard about them: (1) they are electrically neutral, (2) they have a low mass (in the eV-KeV range), and (3) they may be the "dark matter" in our galaxy. Also, I've heard someone has proposed detecting axions by converting them to photons using a magnetic field with rapid spatial variations. If the density of axions is high enough this could make an excellent energy source -- in effect, total conversion of (axionic) matter to usable radiant energy. Paul Dietz (dietz@usc-ecla)