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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)