Related papers: Testing the Heterotic String with the Axion-Photon…
We study the coupling of axions to gauge bosons in heterotic string theory. The axion-gauge boson couplings in the low energy 4d theory are derived by matching mixed anomalies between higher-form global symmetries and the zero-form gauge…
We show that the couplings of axions to gauge bosons are highly restricted in Grand Unified Theories where the standard model is embedded in a simple 4D gauge group. The topological nature of these couplings allows them to be matched from…
Axions, grand unification, and string theory are each compelling extensions of the Standard Model. We show that combining these frameworks imposes strong constraints on the QCD axion mass. Using unitarity arguments and explicit string…
The QCD axion couplings of various invisible axion models are presented. In particular, the exact global symmetry U(1)$_{\rm PQ}$ in the superpotential is possible for the anomalous U(1) from string compactification, broken only by the…
We consider the class of effective supergravity theories from the weakly coupled heterotic string in which local supersymmetry is broken by gaugino condensation in a hidden sector, with dilaton stabilization achieved through corrections to…
We consider the coupling of axions to gauge bosons in higher-dimensional Grand Unified Theories (GUT) inspired by string theory constructions with D-branes on orbifold singularities, the so-called orbifold GUTs. Due to their topological…
We show that in heterotic string theory -- and dual corners of the landscape including Type I string theory -- the QCD axion mass is bounded from below by $m_a \gtrsim 0.5$ neV, a direct consequence of the model-independent axion whose…
We examine the possibility that the strong CP problem is solved by string-theoretic axions in strong-coupling limit of the E_8 x E_8 heterotic string theory (M-theory). We first discuss some generic features of gauge kinetic functions in…
We derive model-independent quantization conditions on the axion couplings (sometimes known as the anomaly coefficients) to the Standard Model gauge group $[SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1)_Y]/\mathbb{Z}_q$ with $q=1,2,3,6$. Using these…
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…
String theory, if it describes nature, is probably strongly coupled. As a result, one might despair of making any statements about the theory. In the framework of a set of clearly spelled out assumptions, we show that this is not…
The possible couplings of an axion to gauge fields depend on the global structure of the gauge group. If the Standard Model gauge group is minimal, or equivalently if fractionally charged color-singlet particles are forbidden, then the QCD…
The QCD axion solving the strong CP problem may originate from antisymmetric tensor gauge fields in compactified string theory, with a decay constant around the GUT scale. Such possibility appears to be ruled out now by the detection of…
We analyze gauge coupling unification in the context of heterotic strings on anisotropic orbifolds. This construction is very much analogous to effective 5 dimensional orbifold GUT field theories. Our analysis assumes three fundamental…
We study the renormalization group running of axion couplings while taking into account that the Standard Model can be extended to its supersymmetric extension at a certain energy scale below the axion decay constant. We then apply our…
In this thesis, we re-assess some aspects of axionic electrodynamics by coupling non-linear electromagnetic effects to axion physics. We present a number of motivations to justify the coupling of the axion to the photon in terms of a…
In this paper, we investigate axion physics in 4D F-theory MSSM models. We derive the axion coupling term with QCD gauge fields and the axion potential from a top-down perspective, from both IIB superstring and the dual M-theory picture.…
In this paper we initiate a broad study of some central properties of the string axiverse arising from Calabi-Yau compactifications of the perturbative heterotic $E_8\times E_8$ theory. Along this road toward a heterotic axiverse, we…
In the context of string theory, axions appear to provide the most plausible solution of the strong CP problem. However, as has been known for a long time, in many string-based models, the axion coupling parameter F_a is several orders of…
Axion-like particles are hypothetical new light (sub-eV) bosons predicted in some extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics. In astrophysical environments comprising high-energy gamma rays and turbulent magnetic fields, the…