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Fuzzy Dark Matter Candidates from String Theory

High Energy Physics - Theory 2022-06-01 v3 Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics High Energy Physics - Phenomenology

Abstract

String theory has been claimed to give rise to natural fuzzy dark matter candidates in the form of ultralight axions. In this paper we revisit this claim by a detailed study of how moduli stabilisation affects the masses and decay constants of different axion fields which arise in type IIB flux compactifications. We find that obtaining a considerable contribution to the observed dark matter abundance without tuning the axion initial misalignment angle is not a generic feature of 4D string models since it requires a mild violation of the SfMPS f\lesssim M_P bound, where SS is the instanton action and ff the axion decay constant. Our analysis singles out C4C_4-axions, C2C_2-axions and thraxions as the best candidates to realise fuzzy dark matter in string theory. For all these ultralight axions we provide predictions which can be confronted with present and forthcoming observations.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2110.02964,
  title  = {Fuzzy Dark Matter Candidates from String Theory},
  author = {Michele Cicoli and Veronica Guidetti and Nicole Righi and Alexander Westphal},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2110.02964},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

34 pages + 4 appendices, v2: minor changes, reviewed and extended results on C2 axions and thraxions, v3: improved final plot, additional background discussion, JHEP accepted version

R2 v1 2026-06-24T06:40:50.217Z