We have searched for solar axions or other pseudoscalar particles that couple to two photons by using the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) setup. Whereas we previously have reported results from CAST with evacuated magnet bores (Phase I), setting li
mits on lower mass axions, here we report results from CAST where the magnet bores were filled with hefour gas (Phase II) of variable pressure. The introduction of gas generated a refractive photon mass $m_gamma$, thereby achieving the maximum possible conversion rate for those axion masses ma that match $m_gamma$. With 160 different pressure settings we have scanned ma up to about 0.4 eV, taking approximately 2 h of data for each setting. From the absence of excess X-rays when the magnet was pointing to the Sun, we set a typical upper limit on the axion-photon coupling of $gaglesssim 2.17times 10^{-10} {rm GeV}^{-1}$ at 95% CL for $ma lesssim 0.4$ eV, the exact result depending on the pressure setting. The excluded parameter range covers realistic axion models with a Peccei-Quinn scale in the neighborhood of $f_{rm a}sim10^{7}$ GeV. Currently in the second part of CAST Phase II, we are searching for axions with masses up to about 1.2 eV using hethree as a buffer gas.
We have started the development of a detector system, sensitive to single photons in the eV energy range, to be suitably coupled to one of the CAST magnet ports. This system should open to CAST a window on possible detection of low energy Axion Like
Particles emitted by the sun. Preliminary tests have involved a cooled photomultiplier tube coupled to the CAST magnet via a Galileian telescope and a switched 40 m long optical fiber. This system has reached the limit background level of the detector alone in ideal conditions, and two solar tracking runs have been performed with it at CAST. Such a measurement has never been done before with an axion helioscope. We will present results from these runs and briefly discuss future detector developments.
It is shown that if the fourth SM fermion family exists then the Higgs boson could be observed at the LHC with an integrated luminosity of few fb-1. The Higgs discovery potential for different channels is discussed in the presence of the fourth SM family.
