We demonstrate that radiative breaking of conformal symmetry (and simultaneously electroweak symmetry) in the Standard Model with right-chiral neutrinos and a minimally enlarged scalar sector induces spontaneous breaking of lepton number symmetry, which naturally gives rise to an axion-like particle with some unusual features. The couplings of this `axion' to Standard Model particles, in particular photons and gluons, are entirely determined (and computable) via the conformal anomaly, and their smallness turns out to be directly related to the smallness of the masses of light neutrinos.
We present a 5D axion-neutrino model that explains the Standard Model fermion mass hierarchy and flavor structure, while simultaneously generating a high-quality axion. The axion and right-handed neutrinos transform under a 5D Peccei-Quinn gauge symmetry, and have highly suppressed profiles on the UV brane where the symmetry is explicitly broken. This setup allows neutrinos to be either Dirac, or Majorana with hierarchically small sterile neutrino masses. The axion decay constant originates from the IR scale, which in the holographically dual 4D description corresponds to the confinement scale…
We show how the neutrino can sacrifice itself to quantum gravity and save the axion solution to the strong-CP problem. This mechanism puts an upper bound on the lightest neutrino mass.
We discuss general multidimensional axion-dilatonic AdS gravity which may correspond to bosonic sector of Gibbons-Green-Perry (compactified) IIB supergravity with RR-scalar (axion). Using AdS/CFT correspondence the 4d conformal anomaly on axion-dilaton-gravitational background is found from SG side. It is shown that for IIB SG with axion such conformal anomaly coincides with the one obtained from QFT calculation in ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory conformally coupled with ${\cal N}=4$ conformal SG. Brief discussion on possibility to apply these results for gauged SGs is also presented.
We present detailed arguments and calculations in support of our recent proposal to identify the axion arising in the solution of the strong CP problem with the Majoron, the (pseudo-)Goldstone boson of spontaneously broken lepton number symmetry. At low energies, the associated $U(1)_L$ becomes, via electroweak parity violation and neutrino mediation, indistinguishable from an axial Peccei-Quinn symmetry in relation to the strong interactions. The axionic couplings are then fully computable in terms of known SM parameters and the Majorana mass scales. The determination of these couplings invol…
Extending the Standard Model with three right-handed neutrinos and a simple QCD axion sector can account for neutrino oscillations, dark matter and baryon asymmetry; at the same time, it solves the strong CP problem, stabilizes the electroweak vacuum and can implement critical Higgs inflation (satisfying all current observational bounds). We perform here a general analysis of dark matter (DM) in such a model, which we call the $aν$MSM. Although critical Higgs inflation features a (quasi) inflection point of the inflaton potential we show that DM cannot receive a contribution from primordial bl…
In this work we use the Maximum Entropy Principle (MEP) to infer the mass of an axion which interacts to photons and neutrinos in an effective low energy theory. The Shannon entropy function to be maximized is suitably defined in terms of the axion branching ratios. We show that MEP strongly constrains the axion mass taking into account the current experimental bounds on the neutrinos masses. Assuming that the axion is massive enough to decay into all the three neutrinos and that MEP fixes all the free parameters of the model, the inferred axion mass is in the interval $0.1\ $eV$\ <m_{A}<0.2$ …
We show that a very simple solution to the strong CP problem naturally leads to Dirac neutrinos. Small effective neutrino masses emerge from a type I Dirac seesaw mechanism. Neutrino mass limits probe the axion parameters in regions currently inaccessible to conventional searches.
The effect of quantum torsion in theories of quantum gravity is usually described by an axion-like field which couples to matter and to gravitation and radiation gauge fields. In perturbation theory, the couplings of this torsion-descent axion field are of derivative type and so preserve a shift symmetry. This shift symmetry may be broken, if the torsion-descent axion field mixes with other axions, which could be related to moduli fields in string-inspired effective theories. In particular, the shift symmetry may break explicitly via non-perturbative effects, when these axions couple to fermio…
We attempt to identify a phenomenologically viable solution to the strong $CP$ problem in which the axion is composed entirely out of Standard Model fermion species. The axion consists predominantly of the $η'$ meson with a minuscule admixture of a pseudoscalar bilinear composite of neutrinos, $η_ν$. The Peccei-Quinn symmetry is an axial symmetry that acts on the up quark and the neutrino species and is spontaneously broken by the QCD condensate of quarks as well as the condensate of neutrinos triggered by chiral gravitational anomaly. The up-quark mass is spontaneously generated by the neutri…
We study a simple Standard Model (SM) extension, which includes three families of right-handed neutrinos with generic non-trivial flavor structure and an economic implementation of the invisible axion idea. We find that in some regions of the parameter space this model accounts for all experimentally confirmed pieces of evidence for physics beyond the SM: it explains neutrino masses (via the type-I see-saw mechanism), dark matter, baryon asymmetry (through leptogenesis), solve the strong CP problem and has a stable electroweak vacuum. The last property may allow us to identify the Higgs field …
We find neutral and charged black branes solutions with axion fields in the context of a conformally coupled gravitational theory in four dimensions. These solutions describe AdS black branes supported by axion fields that break translational invariance at the boundary, providing for momentum dissipation. The conformally coupled scalar field is regular inside and outside the event horizon and there is no need of any self-interaction, obtaining in this way solutions without fine-tuned parameters. We analyze the thermodynamics of our solutions considering the effects of the axion charges and it …
We discuss dynamical mass generation for fermions and pseudoscalar fields (axion-like particles (ALP)), in the context of effective theories containing Yukawa type interactions between the fermions and ALPs. We discuss both Hermitian and non-Hermitian Yukawa interactions, which are motivated in the context of some scenarios for radiative (anomalous) Majorana sterile neutrino masses in some effective field theories. The latter contain shift-symmetry breaking Yukawa interactions between sterile neutrinos and ALPs. We show that, for a Hermitian Yukawa interaction, there is no (pseudo)scalar dynam…
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 paper we study in detail the effect of the so-called string axiverse on large scale structure, focusing on the morphology and evolution of density perturbations, anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background and weak gravitational lensing of distant galaxies. We quantify specific effects that will arise from the presence of the axionic fields and highlight po…
Conformal symmetry is investigated within the context of axion-dilaton-modulus theory of gravity of Brans-Dicke-type. A distinction is made between general conformal symmetry and invariance under transformations of the physical units. The conformal degree of symmetry of the theory is studied when quantum fermion (lepton) modes with electromagnetic interaction are considered. Based on the requirement of invariance of the physical laws under general transformations of the units of measure, arguments are given that point at a matter action with non-minimal coupling of the dilaton to the matter fi…
We study the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry of the sterile right-handed neutrino sector and the gauge symmetries of the Standard Model. Due to four-fermion interactions, spontaneous breaking of these symmetries at the electroweak scale generates top-quark Dirac mass and sterile-neutrino Majorana mass. The top quark channel yields massive Higgs, $W^\pm$ and $Z^0$ bosons. The sterile neutrino channel yields the heaviest sterile neutrino Majorana mass, sterile Nambu-Goldstone axion (or majoron) and massive scalar $χ$boson. Four-fermion operators effectively induce their tiny couplings to SM particles…
Operator product expansions are applied to dilaton-axion four-point functions. In the expansions of the bilocal fields $\tildeΦ\tildeΦ$, $\tilde{C}\tilde{C}$ and $\tildeΦ\tilde{C}$, the conformal fields which are symmetric traceless tensors of rank $l$ and have dimensions $δ=2+l$ or $8+l+η(l)$ and $η(l)=\mathcal{O}(N^{-2})$ are identified. The unidentified fields have dimension $δ=λ+l+η(l)$ with $λ\geq 10$. The anomalous dimensions $η(l)$ are calculated at order $\mathcal{O}(N^{-2})$ for both $2^{-{1/2}}(-\tildeΦ\tildeΦ + \tilde{C}\tilde{C})$ and $2^{-{1/2}}(\tildeΦ\tilde{C} + \tilde{C}\tildeΦ…
Dimensional transmutation in classically conformal invariant theories may explain the electro-weak scale and the fact that so far nothing but the Standard Model (SM) particles have been observed. We discuss in this paper implications of this type of symmetry breaking for neutrino mass generation.
We introduce an axion-inflation model embedded in the Left-Right symmetric extension of the SM in which $W_R$ is coupled to the axion. This model merges three milestones of modern cosmology, i.e., inflation, cold dark matter, and baryon asymmetry. Thus, it can naturally explain the observed coincidences among cosmological parameters, i.e., $η_{B}\approx P_ζ$ and $Ω_{DM} \simeq 5~Ω_{B}$. The source of asymmetry is spontaneous CP violation in the physics of inflation, and the lightest right-handed neutrino is the cold dark matter candidate with mass $m_{N_1}\sim 1~GeV$. The introduced mechanism …
Extending the Standard Model with a new complex singlet scalar, right-handed neutrinos and a vector-like quark allows to simultaneously tackle several problems in particle physics and cosmology within a constrained framework that can be falsified by future probes of the cosmic microwave background, as well as by upcoming axion experiments. This Standard Model - Axion - Seesaw - H portal inflation theory (SMASH) provides predictive inflation and $H$ boson stabilization, and can explain baryogenesis, light neutrino masses, dark matter and the strong CP problem. The model contains a unique new ma…
We extend the study of a previous publication \cite{amsot} on Schwinger-Dyson dynamical mass generation for fermions and pseudoscalar fields (axion-like particles (ALP)), in field theories containing Yukawa type interactions between the fermions and ALPs, by incorporating anomaly terms and/or (constant) axial background fields. The latter are linked to some Lorentz (and CPT) violating scenarios for leptogenesis in the early Universe. We discuss both Hermitian and non-Hermitian Yukawa interactions, anomaly terms and axial backgrounds, which are all motivated in the context of some scenarios for…
I discuss dynamical generation of neutrino masses in unconventional scenarios where the background space-time geometry plays a crucial role. I discuss two types of backgrounds: (i) Lorentz Violating and (ii) Geometries with Torsion. In the former case, the violation of Lorentz symmetry, at a scale M, may be viewed as a catalyst for mass generation and induced flavour oscillations among neutrino species, which survive the limit of M taken to infinity, leading to a hierarchy among neutrino masses. In the latter case, the (totally antisymmetric components of the) torsion degrees of freedom corres…
We explore some particle physics implications of the growing evidence for a helical primordial magnetic field (PMF). From the interactions of magnetic monopoles and the PMF, we derive an upper bound on the monopole number density, $n(t_0) < 1 \times 10^{-20}~{\rm cm}^{-3}$, which is a "primordial" analog of the Parker bound for the survival of galactic magnetic fields. Our bound is weaker than existing constraints, but it is derived under independent assumptions. We also show how improved measurements of the PMF at different redshifts can lead to further constraints on magnetic monopoles. Axio…
Once a light axionlike scalar field couples to the electroweak gauge bosons, its classical motion during reheating induces an effective chemical potential for the fermion number. In the presence of rapid lepton number (L)-violating processes in the plasma, such a chemical potential provides a favorable opportunity for baryogenesis via leptogenesis. We are able to demonstrate that L violation due to the exchange of heavy Majorana neutrinos is sufficient for a successful realization of this idea. Our mechanism represents a novel and minimal alternative to thermal leptogenesis, which turns out to…
A minimal extension of the Standard Model (SM) with a single new mass scale and providing a complete and consistent picture of particle physics and cosmology up to the Planck scale is presented. We add to the SM three right-handed SM-singlet neutrinos, a new vector-like color triplet fermion and a complex SM singlet scalar $σ$ that stabilises the Higgs potential and whose vacuum expectation value at $\sim 10^{11}$ GeV breaks lepton number and a Peccei-Quinn symmetry simultaneously. Primordial inflation is produced by a combination of $σ$ (non-minimally coupled to the scalar curvature) and the …
In this talk, I present a novel and minimal alternative to thermal leptogenesis, which builds upon the assumption that the electroweak gauge bosons are coupled to an axion-like scalar field, as it is, for instance, the case in certain string compactifications. The motion of this axion-like field after the end of inflation generates an effective chemical potential for leptons and antileptons, which, in the presence of lepton number-violating scatterings mediated by heavy Majorana neutrinos, provides an opportunity for baryogenesis via leptogenesis. In contrast to thermal leptogenesis, the final…
An unexpected explanation for neutrino mass, Dark Matter (DM) and Dark Energy (DE) from genuine Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) of the Standard Model (SM) is proposed here, while the strong CP problem is resolved without any need to account for fundamental axions. We suggest that the neutrino sector can be in a double phase in the Universe: i) relativistic neutrinos, belonging to the SM; ii) non-relativistic condensate of Majorana neutrinos. The condensate of neutrinos can provide an attractive alternative candidate for the DM, being in a cold coherent state. We will explain how neutrinos, combin…
Flavor transitions of Neutrinos with a nonstandard interaction are studied. A scalar field is conformally coupled to matter and neutrinos. This interaction alters the neutrino effective mass and its wavefunction leading to a damping factor, causing deficits in the probability densities and affecting the oscillation phase. As the matter density determines the scalar field's behavior, we also have an indirect matter density effect on the flavor conversion. We explain our results in the context of screening models and study the deficit in the total flux of electron-neutrinos produced in the Sun t…
We propose a singlet majoron model that defines an inverse seesaw mechanism in the $ν$ sector. The majoron $ϕ$ has a mass $m_ϕ\approx 0.5$ eV and a coupling to the $τ$ lepton similar to the one to neutrinos. In the early universe it is initially in thermal equilibrium, then it decouples at $T\approx 500$ GeV and contributes with just $ΔN_{\rm eff}=0.026$ during BBN. At $T=26$ keV (final stages of BBN) a primordial magnetic field induces resonant $γ\leftrightarrow ϕ$ oscillations that transfer 6% of the photon energy into majorons, implying $ΔN_{\rm eff}=0.55$ and a 4.7% increase in the baryon …
We give a concise argument that supersymmetric AdS type IIA DGKT flux vacua on general Calabi-Yaus have, interpreted holographically, integer conformal dimensions for low-lying scalar primaries in the dual CFT. These integers are independent of any compactification details, such as the background fluxes or triple intersection numbers of the compact manifold. For the Kähler moduli and dilaton, there is one operator with $Δ= 10$ and $h^{1,1}_{-}$ operators with $Δ=6$, whereas the corresponding axions have $Δ= 11$ and $Δ= 5$. For the complex structure moduli, the $h^{2,1}$ saxions have $Δ=2$, and…
It has been shown that a cosmological background with an anisotropic stress tensor, appropriate for a free streaming thermal neutrino background, can damp primordial gravitational waves after they enter the horizon, and can thus affect the CMB B-mode polarization signature due to such tensor modes. Here we generalize this result, and examine the sensitivity of this effect to non-zero neutrino masses, extra neutrino species, and also a possible relativistic background of axions from axion strings. In particular, additional neutrinos with cosmologically interesting neutrino masses at the O(1) eV…
