A New Signal Model for Axion Cavity Searches from N-Body Simulations
  Signal estimates for direct axion dark matter searches have used the
isothermal sphere halo model for the last several decades. While insightful,
the isothermal model does not capture effects from a halo's infall history nor
the influence of baryonic matter, which has been shown to significantly
influence a halo's inner structure. The high resolution of cavity axion
detectors can make use of modern cosmological structure-formation simulations,
which begin from realistic initial conditions, incorporate a wide range of
baryonic physics, and are capable of resolving detailed structure. This letter
uses a state-of-the-art cosmological N-body+Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics
simulation to develop an improved signal model for axion cavity searches.
Signal shapes from a class of galaxies encompassing the Milky Way are found to
depart significantly from the isothermal sphere. A new signal model for axion
detectors is proposed and projected sensitivity bounds on the Axion Dark Matter
eXperiment data are presented.
