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. We show that a sterile QCD axion is the PQ solution to the strong CP problem. The lightest and heaviest sterile neutrinos ($m_N^e\sim 10^2$ keV and $m_N^τ\sim 10^2$ GeV), a sterile QCD axion ($m_a< 10^{-8}$ eV, $g_{aγ}< 10^{-13} {\rm GeV}^{-1}$) and a Higgs-like $χ$boson ($m_χ\sim 10^2$ GeV) can be dark matter particle candidates, for the constraints of their tiny couplings and long lifetimes inferred from the $W$-boson decay width, Xenon1T and precision fine-structure-constant experiments. The axion and $χ$boson couplings to SM particles are below the values reached by current laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations for directly or indirectly detecting dark matter particles.
The axion not only solves the strong CP puzzle, but it also may be the main constituent of cold dark matter. We review the axion dark matter predictions for the case that the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is restored after inflation.
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.
By identifying the recently introduced Barbero-Immirzi field with the QCD axion, the strong CP problem can be solved through the Peccei-Quinn mechanism. A specific energy scale for the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking is naturally predicted by this model. This provides a complete dynamical setting to evaluate the contribution of such an axion to the cold dark matter content of the Universe. Furthermore, a tight upper bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio production of primordial gravitational waves can be fixed, representing a strong experimental test for this model.
The Peccei-Quinn mechanism suffers from the problem of the isocurvature perturbations. The isocurvature perturbations are suppressed if the Peccei-Quinn breaking scale is large during inflation. The oscillation of the Peccei-Quinn breaking field after inflation, however, leads to the formation of domain walls due to the parametric resonance effect. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of the Peccei-Quinn breaking field after inflation in detail, and propose a model where the parametric resonance is ineffective and hence domain walls are not formed. We also discuss consistency of our model w…
We consider a cosmological set-up, based on renormalizable superpotential terms, in which a superheavy scale F-term hybrid inflation is followed by a Peccei-Quinn phase transition, resolving the strong CP and mu problems of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. We show that the field which triggers the Peccei-Quinn phase transition can remain after inflation well above the Peccei-Quinn scale thanks to (i) its participation in the supergravity and logarithmic corrections during the inflationary stage and (ii) the high reheat temperature after the same period. As a consequence, its presence…
The ralaxation mechanism of Damour-Polyakov for fixing the vacuum expectation value of certain scalar fields (moduli) in string theory could provide a convenient framework for the Peccei-Quinn relaxation mechanism and remove the narrow "axion window".
We propose a left-right symmetric model to simultaneously give natural inflation and flavor mixing from a Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking at the Planck scale. Our model can be embedded in SO(10) grand unification theories.
We show that, for values of the axion decay constant parametrically close to the GUT scale, the Peccei-Quinn phase transition may naturally occur during warm inflation. This results from interactions between the Peccei-Quinn scalar field and the ambient thermal bath, which is sustained by the inflaton field through dissipative effects. It is therefore possible for the axion field to appear as a dynamical degree of freedom only after observable CMB scales have become super-horizon, thus avoiding the large-scale axion isocurvature perturbations that typically plague such models. This nevertheles…
Axions were first introduced in connection with chiral symmetry but are now being looked for mainly as dark matter. In this paper we introduce a nonabelian analogue of axions which can also be potential candidates for dark matter. Their nonabelian symmetries, which are generalizations of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry, are interesting in their own right. Detailed analysis, using fermion measure and zeta function approaches shows that these symmetries are not anomalous.
We construct a gauge-mediated SUSY breaking model with vector-like matters combined with the Peccei-Quinn mechanism to solve the strong CP problem. The Peccei-Quinn symmetry plays an essential role for generating sizable masses for the vector-like matters and the $μ$-term without introducing dangerous CP angle. The model naturally explains both the 125GeV Higgs mass and the muon anomalous magnetic moment. The stabilization of the Peccei-Quinn scalar and the cosmology of the saxion and axino are also discussed.
We build a model in which the relic abundance of axions is altered from the standard misalignment mechanism, either increased or decreased, due to the presence of a new light scalar that couples to the radial part of the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) field. The light scalar makes the effective PQ symmetry-breaking scale dynamical, altering the early-time dynamics for the axion and affecting its late-time dark matter abundance. We analyze this new mechanism semianalytically and numerically, showing that we can accommodate both lighter or heavier axion dark matter, compared to the standard treatments. We di…
The Peccei-Quinn anomalous global U(1)_{PQ} symmetry is important not only for solving the strong CP problem with a cosmologically relevant axion, but it may also be the origin of a residual Z_2 symmetry. This new symmetry may be responsible for a second component of dark matter composed of an absolutely stable Weakly Interacting Massive Particle, as well as for generating radiative neutrino mass. Two specific realizations of this idea are proposed. In these scenarios, dark matter detection is guaranteed at existing direct detection experiments or axion searches. Observable signals at the Larg…
The LIGO observatories can potentially detect stochastic gravitational waves arising from phase transitions which happened in the early universe at temperatures around $T\sim 10^{8}$ GeV. This provides an extraordinary opportunity for discovering the phase transition associated with the breaking of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry, required in QCD axion models. Here we consider the simplest Peccei-Quinn models and study under which conditions a strong first-order phase transition can occur, analyzing its associated gravitational wave signal. To be detectable at LIGO, we show that some supercooling is…
In a Peccei-Quinn extension of supergravity the h --> γγdetection rate can be significantly enhanced due to the reduction of the total Higgs decay width. To assess the viability of various Peccei-Quinn extensions of minimal supergravity we perform a Bayesian analysis on three such scenarios. The main constraints on these models come from the currently observed Higgs boson like state by the Large Hadron Collider and from the WMAP observation of dark matter abundance. Our comparative study reveals that under these constraints the PQ violating scenarios with axino dark matter are clearly preferre…
The proximity of the Peccei-Quinn scale to the scale of supersymmetry breaking in models of pure gravity mediation hints at a common dynamical origin of these two scales. To demonstrate how to make such a connection manifest, we embed the Peccei-Quinn mechanism into the vector-like model of dynamical supersymmetry breaking a la IYIT. Here, we rely on the anomaly-free discrete Z4R symmetry required in models of pure gravity mediation to solve the mu problem to protect the Peccei-Quinn symmetry from the dangerous effect of higher-dimensional operators. This results in a rich phenomenology featur…
So far the null results from axion searches have enforced a huge hierarchy between the Peccei-Quinn and electroweak symmetry breaking scales. Then the inevitable Higgs portal poses a large fine tuning on the standard model Higgs scalar. Now we find if the Peccei-Quinn global symmetry has a set of residually discrete symmetries, these global and discrete symmetries can achieve a chain breaking at low scales such as the accessible TeV scale. This novel mechanism can accommodate some new phenomena including a sizable coupling of the standard model Higgs boson to the axion.
The promising solution to the strong CP problem by a Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry may introduce quality and hierarchy problems, which are both relevant to Planck physics. In this paper, we study whether both problems can be explained by introducing a simple hidden gauge group that satisfies a weak gravity conjecture (WGC) or its variant. As a concrete example, we point out that a weakly-coupled hidden $SU(N)$ gauge symmetry, which is broken down to $SO(N)$, can do this job in the context of a Tower/sub-Lattice WGC. Cosmology is discussed.
Baryon number is an accidental symmetry in the standard model, while Peccei-Quinn symmetry is hypothetical symmetry which is introduced to solve the strong CP problem. We study the possible connections between Peccei-Quinn symmetry and baryon number symmetry. In this framework, an axion is identified as the Nambu-Goldstone boson of baryon number violation. As a result, characteristic baryon number violating processes are predicted. We developed the general method to determine the baryon number and lepton number of new scalar in the axion model.
We propose a model which is a simple extension of the KSVZ invisible axion model with an inert doublet scalar. Peccei-Quinn symmetry forbids tree-level neutrino mass generation and its remnant $Z_2$ symmetry guarantees dark matter stability. The neutrino masses are generated by one-loop effects as a result of the breaking of Peccei-Quinn symmetry through a nonrenormalizable interaction. Although the low energy effective model coincides with an original scotogenic model which contains right-handed neutrinos with large masses, it is free from the strong $CP$ problem.
We consider QCD axion models where the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is badly broken by a larger amount in the past than in the present, in order to avoid the axion isocurvature problem. Specifically we study supersymmetric axion models where the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is dynamically broken by either hidden gauge interactions or the $SU(3)_c$ strong interactions whose dynamical scales are temporarily enhanced by the dynamics of flat directions. The former scenario predicts a large amount of self-interacting dark radiation as the hidden gauge symmetry is weakly coupled in the present Universe. We also s…
We present a dynamical (composite) axion model where the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry arises automatically as a consequence of chirality and gauge symmetry. The Standard Model is simply extended by a confining and chiral $SU(5)$ gauge symmetry. The PQ symmetry coincides with a $B-L$ symmetry of the exotic sector. The theory is protected by construction from quantum gravitational corrections stemming from operators with mass dimension lower than nine.
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 consider a phenomenological extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model which incorporates non-minimal chaotic inflation, driven by a quartic potential associated with the lightest right-handed sneutrino. Inflation is followed by a Peccei-Quinn phase transition based on renormalizable superpotential terms, which resolves the strong CP and mu problems of the minimal supersymmetric standard model provided that one related parameter of the superpotential is somewhat small. Baryogenesis occurs via non-thermal leptogenesis, which is realized by the inflaton decay. Confronting our scen…
Gravitational Waves from Dimension-6 Assisted Peccei - Quinn Phase Transitions
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1（里昂第一大学）；CNRS/IN2P3, IP2I UMR 5822（法国国家科学研究中心/欧洲核子研究组织粒子物理研究所联合研究单位第5822号）；INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati（意大利国家核物理研究所，弗拉斯卡蒂国家实验室）；Laboratory of High-Energy and Computational Physics, NICPB（NICPB高能计算物理实验室）
We consider supersymmetric model with Peccei-Quinn symmetry and study effects of saxion on the evolution of the universe, paying particular attention to the effects of thermal bath. The axion multiplet inevitably couples to colored particles, which induces various thermal effects. In particular, (i) saxion potential is deformed by thermal effects, and (ii) coherent oscillation of the saxion dissipates via the interaction with hot plasma. These may significantly affect the evolution of the saxion in the early universe.
We consider a phenomenological extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) which incorporates non-minimal chaotic inflation, driven by a quadratic potential in conjunction with a linear term in the frame function. Inflation is followed by a Peccei-Quinn phase transition, based on renormalizable superpotential terms, which resolves the strong CP and mu problems of MSSM and provide masses lower than about 10^12 GeV for the right-handed (RH) (s)neutrinos. Baryogenesis occurs via non-thermal leptogenesis, realized by the out-of-equilibrium decay of the RH sneutrinos which are pro…
We propose a scenario of brane cosmology in which the Peccei-Quinn field plays the role of the inflaton and solves simultaneously many cosmological and phenomenological issues such as the generation of a heavy Majorana mass for the right-handed neutrinos needed for seesaw mechanism, MSSM $μ$-parameter, the right amount of baryon number asymmetry and dark matter relic density at the present universe, together with an axion solution to the strong CP problem without the domain wall obstacle. Interestingly, the scales of the soft SUSY-breaking mass parameter and that of the breaking of $U(1)_{\rm …
We have reexamine the effect of entropy production on the cosmic axion density and find that the Peccei-Quinn scale $F_a$ larger than about $10^{15}$~GeV is not allowed even if large entropy is produced by the decays of coherent oscillations or non-relativistic massive particles. We stress that this result is independent of the details of models for the decaying particles.
We study the future prospects of the 21cm forest observations on the axion-like dark matter when the spontaneous breaking of the global Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry occurs after the inflation. The large isocurvature perturbations of order unity sourced from axion-like particles can result in the enhancement of minihalo formation, and the subsequent hierarchical structure formation can affect the minihalo abundance whose masses can exceed ${\cal O}(10^4) M_{\odot}$ relevant for the 21cm forest observations. We show that the 21cm forest observations are capable of probing the axion-like particle m…
We propose a model where Dirac neutrino mass is obtained from small vacuum expectation value (VEV) of neutrino-specific Higgs doublet without fine-tuning problem. The small VEV results from a seesaw-like formula with the high energy scale identified as the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry breaking scale. Axion can be introduced {\it à la} KSVZ or DFSZ. The model suggests neutrino mass, solution to the strong CP problem, and dark matter may be mutually interconnected.
IceCube observed high-energy neutrino flux in the energy region from TeV to PeV. The decay of a massive long-lived particle in the early universe can be the origin of the IceCube neutrino events, which we call an "early decay scenario." In this paper, we construct a particle physics model that contains such a massive long-lived particle based on the Peccei-Quinn model. We calculate the present neutrino flux, taking account of realistic initial energy distributions of particles produced by the decay of the massive long-lived particle. We show that the early decay scenario naturally fits into th…
Invoking the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) solution to the strong CP problem substitutes the puzzle of why $θ_{qcd}$ is so small with the puzzle of why the PQ symmetry is of such high quality. Cosmological and astrophysical considerations raise further puzzles. This paper explores this issues in several contexts: string theory and field theory, and theories without and with low energy supersymmetry. Among the questions studied are whether requiring axion dark matter can account for the quality of the PQ symmetry, to which the answer is sometimes yes. In non-supersymmetric theories, we find $f_a = 10^{12}$…
We argue that the axion arising in the solution of the strong CP problem can be identified 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 scale, as we illustrate by computing the effective couplings to photons and quarks at two loops.
The Peccei-Quinn (PQ) solution to the strong $CP$ problem requires an anomalous global $U(1)$ symmetry, the PQ symmetry. The origin of such a convenient global symmetry is quite puzzling from the theoretical point of view in many aspects. In this paper, we propose a simple prescription which provides an origin of the PQ symmetry. There, the global $U(1)$ PQ symmetry is virtually embedded in a gauged $U(1)$ PQ symmetry. Due to its simplicity, this mechanism can be implemented in many conventional models with the PQ symmetry.
We address the question whether it is possible in GUTs to obtain R-parity violation with a large ${ΔL{/}ΔB}$ hierarchy of strengths so that the proton is stable while phenomenologically interesting $L$-violation is present. We consider versions of SU(5) with a built-in Peccei-Quinn symmetry spontaneously broken at an intermediate scale. The P-Q symmetry and the field content guarantee a large suppression of the effective $B$-violating terms by a factor $Λ^3_{PQ}/M_PM^2_X $ while the effective $L$-violating terms stay large.
The generalized Higgs mass term $NH_1H_2$ of the supersymmetric standard model is used to implement the Peccei-Quinn Symmetry to solve the strong-CP problem. Then supersymmetry breaking can generate the Higgs mass parameter $μ$ of order $m_{3/2}$ through soft-breaking parameters. This kind of extension contains extra light fields of the axion supermultiplet whose dominant coupling may come from the supersymmetric axion-Higgs-Higgs coupling. We present a working example and discuss the cosmological implications of the model.
In the left-right symmetric models, we can take the left-right symmetry to be the charge-conjugation and then impose a global symmetry under which the left- and right-handed fermion doublets carry equal but opposite charges. Consequently, we may introduce two Higgs bi-doublets to give the desired fermion mass spectrum. The global symmetry is identified to a Peccei-Quinn symmetry. We can introduce a complex scalar singlet to break the global Peccei-Quinn symmetry at a high scale. This symmetry breaking is also responsible for generating the heavy Majorana masses of the fermion singlets which ha…
We aim to explain the nature of neutrinos using Peccei-Quinn symmetry. We discuss two simple scenarios, one based on a type-II Dirac seesaw and the other in a one-loop neutrino mass generation, which solve the strong CP problem and naturally lead to Dirac neutrinos. In the first setup latest neutrino mass limit gives rise to axion which is in the reach of conventional searches. Moreover, we have both axion as well as WIMP dark mater for our second set up.
We study cosmological effects of explicit Peccei-Quinn breaking on the QCD axion dark matter. We find that the axion abundance decreases or increases significantly depending on the initial position, even for a tiny Peccei-Quinn breaking that satisfies the experimental bound of the neutron electric dipole measurements. If the axion first starts to oscillate around a wrong vacuum and if it gets trapped there until the false vacuum disappears due to non-perturbative QCD effects, its abundance increases significantly and is independent of the decay constant $f_a$, as first pointed out in [JHEP 06 …
We consider an inflationary model based only on renormalizable superpotential terms in which a superheavy scale F-term hybrid inflation (FHI) is followed by a Peccei-Quinn (PQ) phase transition. We show that the field which triggers the PQ phase transition influences drastically the inflationary dynamics and that the Universe undergoes a secondary phase of reheating after the PQ phase transition. Confronting FHI with the current observational data we find that, for the central value of the spectral index, the grand unification scale can assume its supersymmetric value for more or less natural …
To generate the lepton and quark masses in the left-right symmetric models, we can consider a universal seesaw scenario by integrating out heavy fermion singlets which have the Yukawa couplings with the fermion and Higgs doublets. The universal seesaw scenario can also accommodate the leptogenesis with Majorana or Dirac neutrinos. We show the fermion singlets can obtain their heavy masses from certain global symmetry breaking, which is driven by one complex scalar singlet or two. The global symmetry can be identified to the Peccei-Quinn symmetry since it is mediated to the standard model quark…
The axion solution to the strong CP problem requires an anomalous global U(1) symmetry. We show that the existence of such a symmetry is a natural consequence of an extra dimension in which a gauged U(1) is spontaneously broken on one of two branes, leaving an accidental global symmetry on the other brane. Depending on where the standard model matter lives, the resulting axion can be either the DFSZ or hadronic type. Gaugino-mediated supersymmetry breaking fits comfortably in our framework. In addition, we present a model in which the supersymmetry-breaking and Peccei-Quinn breaking scales are…
The Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism provides an elegant solution to the strong CP problem. However astrophysical constraints on axions require the PQ breaking scale to be far higher than the electroweak scale. In supersymmetric models the PQ symmetry can be broken at an acceptable scale if the effective potential for the pseudo-modulus in the axion multiplet develops a minimum at large enough field values. In this work we classify systematically hadronic axion models in the context of gauge mediation and study their effective potentials at one loop. We find that some models generate a PQ scale com…
We show that in an $SU(2)\otimes U(1)$ model with a DSF-like invisible axion it is possible to obtain (i) the convergence of the three gauge coupling constants at an energy scale near the Peccei-Quinn scale; (ii) the correct value for $\sin^2\hatθ_W(M_Z)$; (iii) the stabilization of the proton by the cyclic $Z_{13}\otimes Z_3$ symmetries which also stabilize the axion as a solution to the strong CP problem. Concerning the convergence of the three coupling constants and the prediction of the weak mixing angle at the $Z$-peak, this model is as good as the minimal supersymmetric standard model wi…
We propose an efficient mechanism to realize an invisible axion from a low scale Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking. Our basic model only contains a gauge boson, an up-type vector-like quark, two Higgs doublets and two Higgs singlets besides the standard model fermions and gauge bosons. The physical Peccei-Quinn global symmetry is a result of two independent global symmetries connected by the new gauge symmetry. Anyone of these two global symmetries only acts on either the right-handed top quark or the left-handed new quark so that it can avoid the domain wall problem. Thanks to the electroweak an…
We propose a new interpretation of Peccei-Quinn symmetry within the Standard Model, identifying it with the axial $B + L$ symmetry i.e. $U(1)_{PQ} \equiv U(1)_{γ_5(B+L)}$. This new interpretation retains all the attractive features of Peccei-Quinn solution to strong CP problem but in addition also leads to several other new and interesting consequences. Owing to the identification $U(1)_{PQ} \equiv U(1)_{γ_5(B+L)}$ the axion also behaves like Majoron inducing small seesaw masses for neutrinos after spontaneous symmetry breaking. Another novel feature of this identification is the phenomenon of…
Considering axino cold dark matter scenarios with a long-lived charged slepton, we study constraints on the Peccei-Quinn scale f_a and on the reheating temperature T_R imposed by the dark matter density and by big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). For an axino mass compatible with large-scale structure, m_axino \gtrsim 100 keV, temperatures above 10^9 GeV become viable for f_a > 3x10^12 GeV. We calculate the slepton lifetime in hadronic axion models. With the dominant decay mode being two-loop suppressed, this lifetime can be sufficiently large to allow for primordial bound states leading to catalyz…
We explore how the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) axion parameter space can be constrained by the frequency-dependence dimming of radiation from astrophysical objects. To do so we perform accurate calculations of photon-axion conversion in the presence of a variable magnetic field. We propose several tests where the PQ axion parameter space can be explored with current and future astronomical surveys: the observed spectra of isolated neutron stars, occultations of background objects by white dwarfs and neutron stars, the light curves of eclipsing binaries containing a white dwarf. We find that the lack of …
The nature of axion cosmology is usually said to depend on whether the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry breaks before or after inflation. The PQ symmetry itself is believed to be an accident, so there is not necessarily a symmetry during inflation at all. We explore these issues in some simple models, which provide examples of symmetry breaking before and after inflation, or in which there is no symmetry during inflation and no phase transition at all. One effect of these observations is to relax the constraints from isocurvature fluctuations due to the axion during inflation. We also observe new po…
We show that there is an infinite number of U(1) symmetries like Peccei-Quinn symmetry in the 3-3-1 model with minimal scalar sector---two scalar triplets. Moreover, all of them are completely broken due to the model's scalars by themselves (notice that these scalars as known have been often used to break the gauge symmetry and generating the masses for the model's particles). There is no any residual Peccei-Quinn symmetry. Because of the minimal scalar content there are some quarks that are massless at tree-level, but they can get consistent mass contributions at one-loop due to this fact. In…
