Related papers: A Holographic Perspective on the Axion Quality Pro…
We review the status of axino dark matter. Two hierarchy problems, the strong CP problem and the gauge hierarchy problem, have led to introducing into particle physics a spontaneously broken global Peccei-Quinn symmetry and a softly broken…
We study a class of gauge groups that can automatically yield a perturbatively exact Peccei-Quinn symmetry, and we outline a model in which the axion quality problem is solved at all operator dimensions. Gauge groups belonging to this class…
The QCD axion may offer a unified origin for the baryon asymmetry and dark matter through axiogenesis. However, in the minimal QCD axion scenario, axiogenesis either underproduces baryons or overproduces dark matter, and the required…
A local flavour symmetry acting on the quarks of the Standard Model can automatically give rise to an accidental global $U(1)$ which remains preserved from sources of explicit breaking up to a large operator dimension, while it gets…
Particle physics models with Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry breaking as a consequence of supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking are attractive in that they solve the strong CP problem with a SUSY DFSZ-like axion, link the SUSY breaking and PQ breaking…
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…
We introduce a class of composite axion models that provide a natural solution to the strong CP problem, and possibly account for the observed dark matter abundance. The QCD axion arises as a composite Nambu-Goldstone boson (NGB) from the…
Composite axion scenarios offer a robust field theoretic justification for the existence of a Peccei-Quinn symmetry of high quality. We present a new class of realizations that are naturally embedded in Grand-Unified Theories, retain…
The coupling between scalar and vector fields has a long and interesting history. Axions are one key possibility to solve the strong CP problem and axion-like particles could be one solution to the dark matter puzzle. Given the nature of…
We propose an ${\rm SU}(6)$ unified theory that solves the strong ${\it CP}$ problem with a high-quality axion. This is achieved by an automatic global Peccei-Quinn ${\rm U}(1)_{\rm PQ}$ symmetry and the gauged discrete $\mathbb{Z}_{4{\cal…
We present a holographic construction of the QCD axion based on a warped 5D model. A key ingredient of our setup is the introduction of a bulk scalar field $\theta$, which is holographically dual to the topological operator of QCD. This…
A global $U(1)_\text{PQ}$ symmetry is protected from gravitational effects in the s-confining $SU(N)^k$ product group theory with $A+4Q +N\overline{Q}$ matter. If the $SU(4)$ family symmetry is gauged and an appropriate tree-level…
The axion is a light pseudoscalar particle postulated to solve issues with the Standard Model, including the strong CP problem and the origin of dark matter. In recent years, there has been remarkable progress in the physics of axions in…
To address five fundamental shortcomings of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics and cosmology, we propose a SMART U(1)$_X$ model which is a $U(1)_X \times U(1)_{PQ}$ extension of the SM. The $U(1)_X$ gauge symmetry is a…
We present a class of models based on a gauged $U(1)_F$ flavor symmetry that explains the hierarchical structure of fermion masses and mixings via the Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism, while also solving the strong CP problem by the…
The Axion is a particle arising from the Peccei-Quinn solution to the strong CP problem. Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking in the early universe could produce a large number of axions which would still be present today, making the axion a…
The QCD axion offers a natural resolution to the strong CP problem and provides a compelling dark matter candidate. If the QCD axion constitutes all the dark matter, the simplest models pick out a narrow range of masses around $100\,\mu{\rm…
The axion solution to the strong CP problem is delicately sensitive to Peccei-Quinn breaking contributions that are misaligned with respect to QCD instantons. Heavy QCD axion models are appealing because they avoid this so-called "quality…
I discuss how anomalies affect classical symmetries and how, in turn, the non-trivial nature of the gauge theory vacuum makes these quantum corrections troublesome. Although no solution seems in sight for the cosmological constant problem,…
We explore a common symmetrical origin for two long standing problems in particle physics: the strong CP and the fermion mass hierarchy problems. The Peccei--Quinn mechanism solves the former one with an anomalous global $U(1)_{\rm PQ}$…