Related papers: Exotic Axions
We review a class of models which generalize the traditional Peccei-Quinn (PQ) axion solution by a St\"uckelberg pseudoscalar. Such axion models represent a significant variant with respect to earlier scenarios where axion fields were…
We show that the QCD axion couples to the electromagnetic kinetic term at one loop. The result is that if axions make up dark matter, they induce temporal variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$, which is severely constrained. We…
It seems to be generally accepted that apparently anomalous cosmological observations, such as accelerating expansion, etc., necessarily are inconsistent with standard general relativity and standard matter sources. Following the…
Constraints on inflationary scenarios and isocurvature perturbations have excluded the simplest and most generic models of dark matter based on QCD axions. Considering non-minimal kinetic couplings of scalar fields to gravity substantially…
The growth of adiabatic density perturbations during an era of early matter domination induces $\mathcal{O}(1)$ fluctuations in pre-inflationary QCD axion dark matter across a broad, string-theory-motivated parameter space. Remarkably, at…
We analyze the conditions under which some supersymmetric generalizations of a class of models descending from string theory allow an axion in the physical spectrum, due to the presence of anomalous abelian gauge interactions. The gauge…
Nearly massless axion-like particles are of interest for astrophysical observations, and some constraints on their parameter space do exist in the literature. Here, we propose to put new constraints on these particles using polarisation…
We discuss the dynamics and phenomenology of an oscillating scalar field coupled to the Higgs boson that accounts for the dark matter in the Universe. The model assumes an underlying scale invariance such that the scalar field only acquires…
We revisit the domain wall problem for QCD axion models with more than one quark charged under the Peccei-Quinn symmetry. Symmetry breaking during or after inflation results in the formation of a domain wall network which would cause cosmic…
The properties of axion miniclusters and of the voids between them can have very strong implications for the discovery of axions and the dark matter of the Universe. These properties can be strongly affected by axion dynamics in the early…
We study the stochastic axion dark matter scenario in the axion landscape, where one of the axions is light and stable and therefore explains dark matter. If the axion mass at the potential is a typical value of the curvature along the…
The serious cosmological problems created by the axion-string/axion-domain-wall system in standard axion models are alleviated by positing the existence of a new confining force. The instantons of this force can generate an axion potential…
Dark sector particles at the GeV scale carrying baryon number provide an attractive framework for understanding the origin of dark matter and the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe. We demonstrate that dark decays of hadronic…
Cosmology and particle physics are closer today than ever before, with several searches underway at the interface between cosmology, particle physics, and field theory. The mystery of dark matter (DM) is one of the greatest common unsolved…
Stable topological defects of light (pseudo)scalar fields can contribute to the Universe's dark energy and dark matter. Currently the combination of gravitational and cosmological constraints provides the best limits on such a possibility.…
Axions and dark photons are common in many extensions of the Standard Model. The dark axion portal -- an axion coupling to the dark photon and photon -- can significantly modify their phenomenology. We study the cosmological constraints on…
An exponential modified gravity with additional logarithmic corrections is considered with the presence of an axion-like scalar field in the role of dark matter. Axion fields are thought to become important at late-times when the axion-like…
Low scale string models naturally have axion-like pseudoscalars which couple directly to gluons and photons (but not $W$s) at tree level. We show how they typically get tree level masses in the presence of closed string fluxes, consistent…
Axion-like fields are naturally generated by a mechanism of anomaly cancellation of one or more anomalous gauge abelian symmetries at the Planck scale, emerging as duals of a two-form from the massless bosonic sector of string theory. This…
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…