Constraints on axion-nucleon coupling constants from measuring the Casimir force between corrugated surfaces

Abstract

We obtain stronger laboratory constraints on the coupling constants of axion-like particles to nucleons from measurements of the normal and lateral Casimir forces between sinusoidally corrugated surfaces of a sphere and a plate. For this purpose, the normal and lateral additional forces arising in the experimental configurations due to the two-axion exchange between protons and neutrons are calculated. Our constraints following from measurements of the normal and lateral Casimir forces are stronger than the laboratory constraints reported so far for masses of axion-like particles larger than 11 and 8 eV, respectively. A comparison between various laboratory constraints on the coupling constants of axion-like particles to nucleons obtained from the magnetometer measurements, E\"otvos- and Cavendish-type experiments, and from the Casimir effect is performed over the wide range of masses of axion-like particles from $1{0}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ to 20 eV.