Search for 7Li solar axions using resonant absorption in LiF crystal: Final results

The resonance excitation of the Li-7 nuclei in a LiF crystal with mass of 553 g by hypothetical axions emitted in the deexcitation of the Li-7 nuclei in the Sun was searched for deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories (LNGS) of INFN (3600 m we.). The data collected with a low background HP Ge detector 244 cm(3) during 4044h have allowed us to set the limit on the axion mass: m(a) < 8.6 key (90% CL.) which is the best one for the Li-7 solar axions to-date. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.