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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Resonant photon-axion conversion driven by axion dark matter oscillations

Run-Min Yao1,2,*, Xiao-Jun Bi2,3,†, Peng-Fei Yin3,‡, and Qing-Guo Huang1,2,4,§

  • *Contact author: yaorunmin@ucas.ac.cn
  • †Contact author: bixj@ihep.ac.cn
  • ‡Contact author: yinpf@ihep.ac.cn
  • §Contact author: huangqg@itp.ac.cn
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Phys. Rev. D 114, L081304 – Published 13 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lr5r-kyrl

Abstract

Wave propagation in periodically time-dependent media can exhibit driven mode conversion that is absent in static or adiabatic descriptions. We show that coherent axion dark matter provides an intrinsic realization of this dynamics for photons propagating in a magnetic field. The background’s periodic birefringence continuously rotates the photon polarization and thereby drives magnetic photon-axion mixing. Using Floquet theory, we derive resonant photon-axion conversion when integer harmonics of the axion oscillation frequency compensate the dispersion mismatch, Δγ−Δa≈nma with n∈Z. This resonance enables efficient mixing far from conventional level crossing and is lost when the periodic drive is averaged out of the propagation Hamiltonian. The resulting conversion is bounded and unitary, distinct from parametric instability or axion decay. Our framework describes photon propagation in coherent oscillating axion backgrounds and predicts characteristic polarization signatures, which we illustrate in a blazar environment.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. D 114, L081304– Published 13 October, 2026
  • Received 21 January 2026
  • Revised 24 April 2026
  • Accepted 18 September 2026
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