Related papers: Non-Abelian Strings and Axions
We address two distinct but related issues: (i) the impact of (two-dimensional) axions in a two-dimensional theory known to model confinement, the CP(N-1) model; (ii) bulk axions in four-dimensional Yang-Mills theory supporting non-Abelian…
It is shown that the axion concentrated in electroweak strings which are consequently stabilized may produce a rotation of the polarization angle of radiation from extragalactic sources larger than that caused by a background field, and…
A generic prediction of string theory is the existence of many axion fields. It has recently been argued that many of these fields should be light and, like the well known QCD axion, lead to observable cosmological consequences. In this…
The new generalization of the gauge interaction for the bosonic strings is found. We consider some quasiequivariant maps from the space of metrics on the worldsheet to the space of $n$-tuples of one- and two-dimensional loops. The…
Axions, periodic scalar fields coupled to gauge fields through the instanton density, have a rich variety of higher-form global symmetries. These include a two-form global symmetry, which measures the charge of axion strings. As we review,…
We study the minimal requirements to obtain axion strings for axions with exponentially good quality. These ingredients appear in theories where an axion coming from a higher-form gauge field mixes with the phase of a complex scalar field…
While axions seem ubiquitous in critical string theories, whether they might survive in any string theoretic description of nature is a difficult question. With some mild assumptions, one can frame the issues in the case that there is an…
Axion strings and domain walls exhibit a number of novel effects in the presence of gauge fields, in particular the electromagnetic field. It is shown how these effects are reproduced in a model of Nambu-Goto-type strings and open or closed…
We have studied numerically the evolution and decay of axion strings. These global defects decay mainly by axion emission and thus contribute to the cosmological axion density. The relative importance of this source relative to misalignment…
It has been known long time ago that the low energy dynamics of open-strings is described by non-abelian gauge theories in the same way that the low energy effective description of closed strings is governed by Einstein's gravity. In this…
Non-Abelian global strings are expected to form during the chiral phase transition. They have orientational zero modes in the internal space, associated with the vector-like symmetry SU(N)_{L+R} broken in the presence of strings. The…
In a model that supports both Abelian (Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen) and non-Abelian strings we analyze the parameter space to find examples in which these strings not only coexist but are degenerate in tension. We prove that both solutions are…
Starting from certain 3D non-abelian dual systems, we discuss a number of related dual systems in 2D, some of which are obtained by dimensional reduction. The dualities relate massive scalar and vector fields, and may be relevant for string…
The presence of axion strings in the Universe after recombination can leave an imprint on the polarization pattern of the cosmic microwave background radiation through the phenomenon of axion-string-induced birefringence via the hyperlight…
Cosmological evolution of axionic strings is investigated by numerically solving field equations of a complex scalar field in 3+1 dimensions. It is shown that the global strings relax to the scaling solution with a significantly smaller…
We examine an axion string coupled to a Majorana fermion. It is found that there exist a Majorana-Weyl zero mode on the string. Due to the zero mode, the axion strings obey non-abelian statistics.
String theory generically predicts the coupling between the Affleck-Dine field and axion field through higher-dimensional operators. We thus explore the Affleck-Dine baryogenesis on an axion background. It turns out that the axion…
When axionic strings carry a global charge, domain walls bounded by such strings may not be allowed to decay completely. This happens in particular in some models where a composite axion-like particle is the pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson of…
We examine current-carrying configurations of cosmic strings in non-Abelian gauge theories. We study the solutions numerically and point out that the currents will be at best dynamically stable and not subject to any topological…
We explore the cosmological consequences of the superconductivity of QCD axion strings. Axion strings can support a sizeable chiral electric current and charge, which alters their early universe dynamics. Shrinking axion string loops can…