Related papers: Accions
The quantum chromodynamics (QCD) axion may solve the strong CP problem and explain the dark matter (DM) abundance of our Universe. The axion was originally proposed to arise as the pseudo-Nambu Goldstone boson of global $\mathrm{U}(1)_{\rm…
We study the system of axion strings that forms in the early Universe if the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is restored after inflation. Using numerical simulations, we establish the existence of an asymptotic solution to which the system is…
A $SU(N)_L\times SU(N)_R$ gauge theory for a scalar multiplet $Y$ transforming in the bi-fundamental representation $(N,\bar N)$ preserves, for $N>4$, an accidental $U(1)$ symmetry firstly broken at operator dimension $N$. Two…
R-parity can be extended to a continuous global U(1)${}_R$ symmetry. We investigate whether an anomalous U(1)${}_R$ can be identified as the PQ symmetry suitable for solving the strong CP problem within supersymmetric extensions of the…
One fundamental physics interpretation of Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) results is that the observed accelerated expansion of the Universe is driven not by the cosmological constant, but by a slowly rolling scalar field, a…
Considerable theoretical efforts have gone into expanding the reach of the QCD axion beyond its canonical mass--decay-constant relation. The $Z_\mathcal{N}$ QCD axion model reduces the QCD axion mass naturally, by invoking a discrete…
We propose a new solution to the strong-CP problem. It involves the existence of an unbroken gauged $U(1)_X$ symmetry whose gauge boson gets a Stuckelberg mass term by combining with a pseudoscalar field $\eta (x)$. The latter has…
We study cosmological solutions of (pseudo)scalar theories with periodic potentials, in the presence of arbitrary cosmological fluids -- including a cosmological constant of either sign. Independently of the initial misalignment angle and…
The mass of the axion and its decay rate are known to depend only on the scale of Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking, which is constrained by astrophysics and cosmology to be between $10^9$ and $10^{12}$ GeV. We propose a new mechanism such…
It is emphasized that the existence of a very light axion is consistent with the strong CP invariance and cosmological and astrophysical constraints. The attempt to embed the very light axion in superstring models is discussed.
1. Introduction 2. Models: the QCD axion; the strong CP problem; PQWW, KSVZ, DFSZ; anomalies, instantons and the potential; couplings; axions in string theory 3. Production and I.C.'s: SSB and non-perturbative physics; the axion field…
Natural inflation relies on the existence of an axion decay constant which is super-Planckian. In string theory only sub-Planckian axion decay constants have been found in any controlled regime. However in field theory it is possible to…
Here we generally prove that the axion as a coherently oscillating scalar field acts as a cold dark matter in nearly all cosmologically relevant scales. The proof is made in the linear perturbation order. Compared with our previous proof…
It follows on general grounds that the theta dependence in QCD is more complicated than suggested by the large N_c approach or instanton arguments. Generically, the vacuum energy E_{vac}(\theta) is a multi-valued function of \theta…
We study a class of supersymmetric models where the strong CP problem is solved through spontaneous CP violation, carried out by a complex scalar field that determines the Yukawa couplings of the theory. Assuming that one real component of…
We explore whether the axion which solves the strong CP problem can naturally be much lighter than the canonical QCD axion. The $Z_\mathcal{N}$ symmetry proposed by Hook, with $\mathcal{N}$ mirror and degenerate worlds coexisting in Nature…
The behavior of the action of the instantons describing vacuum decay in a de Sitter is investigated. For a near-to-limit instanton (a Coleman-de Luccia instanton close to some Hawking-Moss instanton) we find approximate formulas for the…
We propose a novel and generalized mechanism, dubbed stochastic axion mixing. In a multi-axion framework, this mixing occurs naturally provided that the masses of all ultra-light axion-like particles (ALPs) are distinct and lighter than the…
Gravitational effects may interfere with the axion solution to the strong-CP problem. We point out that gravity can potentially provide a protection mechanism against itself, in the form of an additional axion-like field associated with…
We revisit the constraint from the recently reported cosmic birefringence on axion-like particles with a general decay constant. A particular attention is paid to the naturalness of the model parameter space, which has been overlooked in…