Axions from Sun? Exploring the low-energy frontier with the IAXO experiment

Axions are ultralight hypothetical particles originally postulated to explain the observed smallness of the neutron´s electric dipole moment and its connection with the so-called strong CP-problem, i.e. the fact that QCD allows for CP violation while Nature apparently does not. Meanwhile it is clear that axions, and more generally axion-like particles (ALPs), may also serve as interesting candidates for the observed Dark Matter and may explain certain astrophysical anomalies. If axions exist, they are copiously produced in our Sun and may be detected through their small effective coupling to electro-magnetic fields. A promising approach is their conversion into soft X-ray photons in strong magnetic fields and subsequent detection.
In the talk, I will lay out the experimental scene of axion searches around the globe and then focus on a new proposal, the International Axion Observatory (IAXO) and its smaller predecessor, BabyIAXO to be constructed at DESY in Hamburg. I will discuss the layout of the experiment, ongoing R&D towards its realization and its sensitivity and discovery potential as well the time scale towards realization.