Searching for light in the darkness: Bounds on ALP dark matter with the optical MUSE-faint survey

Abstract

We use MUSE spectroscopic observations of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Leo T between 470 and 935 nm to search for radiative decays of axion like particles (ALPs). Under the assumption that ALPs constitute the dark matter component of the Leo T halo, we derive bounds on the effective ALP-two-photon coupling. We improve existing limits by more than one order of magnitude in the ALP mass range 2.7-5.3 eV.