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One intriguing BSM particle is the QCD axion, which could simultaneously provide a solution to the Strong CP problem and account for some, if not all, of the dark matter density in the universe. This particle is a pNGB of the conjectured…
We introduce four supersymmetric (SUSY) axion models in which the strong CP problem and the $\mu$ problem are solved with the help of the Peccei-Quinn mechanism and the Kim-Nilles mechanism, respectively. The axion physics enriches the SUSY…
The Peccei Quinn (PQ) solution of the strong CP problem requires the existence of axions, which are a viable candidate for Dark Matter. Here we show that, if the Nambu Goldstone potential of the PQ model is replaced by a potential V(|\Phi|)…
The axion arises in well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics and is regarded as an alternative to the weakly interacting massive particle paradigm to explain the nature of dark matter. In this contribution, we…
Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) and axions are arguably the most compelling dark matter candidates in the literature. Could they coexist as dark matter particles? More importantly, can they be incorporated in a well motivated…
We propose a class of axion models with generation dependent Peccei-Quinn charges for the known fermions that allow to suppress the axion couplings to nucleons and electrons. Astrophysical limits are thus relaxed, allowing for axion masses…
We propose a simple extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model by introducing a gauge singlet in addition to right-handed neutrinos. The model resolves the strong CP problem by Pecci-Quinn symmetry, explains the origin of…
The Strong CP Problem can be resolved by introducing an additional global symmetry known as Peccei-Quinn symmetry. Once PQ symmetry is broken the associated particle, the QCD axion, is a plausible dark matter candidate. Calculating the…
It has recently been shown that if the dark matter is in thermal equilibrium with a sector that is highly decoupled from the Standard Model, it can freeze-out with an acceptable relic abundance, even if the dark matter is as heavy as ~1-100…
Axions in the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism provide a promising solution to the strong CP problem in the standard model of particle physics. Coherently generated PQ scalar fields could dominate the energy density in the early Universe and…
We present cosmological bounds on the thermal axion mass in an extended cosmological scenario in which the primordial power spectrum of scalar perturbations differs from the usual power-law shape predicted by the simplest inflationary…
Axions are a natural consequence of the Peccei-Quinn mechanism, the most compelling solution to the strong-CP problem. Similar axion-like particles (ALPs) also appear in a number of possible extensions of the Standard Model, notably in…
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the theory of the strong interactions within the Standard Model of particle physics, which explains more than 99% of the mass of the visible Universe. However, there is evidence that a substantial portion of…
Probing the existence of hypothetical particles beyond the Standard model often deals with extreme parameters: large energies, tiny cross-sections, large time scales, etc. Sometimes laboratory experiments can test required regions of…
The recent observations imply that there is an extra relativistic degree of freedom coined dark radiation. We argue that the QCD axion is a plausible candidate for the dark radiation, not only because of its extremely small mass, but also…
A natural possibility for dark matter is that it is composed of the stable pions of a QCD-like hidden sector. Existing literature largely assumes that pion self-interactions alone control the early universe cosmology. We point out that…
We discuss conditions that should be satisfied by axion models for solving the strong CP problem. It has been observed that Planck scale effects may render the axion models ineffective if there are gauge invariant operators of dimension…
Motivated by the galactic positron excess seen by PAMELA and ATIC/PPB-BETS, we propose that dark matter is a TeV-scale particle that annihilates into a pseudoscalar "axion." The positron excess and the absence of an anti-proton or gamma ray…
The existence of dark matter provides strong evidence for physics beyond the Standard Model. Extending the Standard Model with the Peccei-Quinn symmetry and/or supersymmetry, compelling dark matter candidates appear. For the axion, the…
In this letter, we consider a class of scenarios in which the dark matter is part of a heavy hidden sector that is thermally decoupled from the Standard Model in the early universe. The dark matter freezes-out by annihilating to a lighter,…