  Very high energy gamma-rays are expected to be absorbed by the extragalactic
background light over cosmological distances via the process of
electron-positron pair production. Recent observations of cosmologically
distant gamma-ray emitters by ground based gamma-ray telescopes have, however,
revealed a surprising degree of transparency of the universe to very high
energy photons. One possible mechanism to explain this observation is the
oscillation between photons and axion-like-particles (ALPs). Here we explore
this possibility further, focusing on photon-ALP conversion in the magnetic
fields in and around gamma-ray sources and in the magnetic field of the Milky
Way, where some fraction of the ALP flux is converted back into photons. We
show that this mechanism can be efficient in allowed regions of the ALP
parameter space, as well as in typical configurations of the Galactic Magnetic
Field. As case examples, we consider the spectrum observed from two HESS
sources: 1ES1101-232 at redshift z=0.186 and H 2356-309 at z=0.165. We also
discuss features of this scenario which could be used to distinguish it from
standard or other exotic models.

Astrophysics;High Energy Physics - Phenomenology