The conventional misalignment mechanism for scalar dark matter depends on the initial field value, which governs the oscillation amplitude and present-day abundance. We present a mechanism by which a feeble (Planck-suppressed) coupling of dark matter to a fermion in thermal equilibrium drives the scalar towards its high-temperature potential minimum at large field values, dynamically generating misalignment before oscillations begin. Unlike conventional misalignment production, the dark matter abundance is dictated by microphysics and not by initial conditions. As an application of the generic mechanism, we discuss a realistic scenario in which dark matter couples to the muon.
We explore the possibility that the dark matter is a condensate of a very light vector boson. Such a condensate could be produced during inflation, provided the vector mass arises via the Steuckelberg mechanism. We derive bounds on the kinetic mixing of the dark matter boson with the photon, and point out several potential signatures of this model.
We show that dark matter can be accounted for by an axion that solves the strong CP problem, but is much lighter than usual due to a $Z_\mathcal{N}$ symmetry. The whole mass range from the canonical QCD axion down to the ultra-light regime is allowed, with $3\le\mathcal{N}\lesssim65$. This includes the first proposal of a "fuzzy dark matter" QCD axion with $m_a\sim10^{-22}$ eV. A novel misalignment mechanism occurs --{\it trapped misalignment}-- due to the peculiar temperature dependence of the $Z_{\mathcal{N}}$ axion potential. The dark matter relic density is enhanced because the axion field…
Motivated by their potential role as dark matter, we study the cosmological evolution of light scalar and vector fields non-minimally coupled to gravity. Our focus is on a situation where the dominant contribution to the energy density arises from the misalignment mechanism. In addition, we also discuss the possibility that dark matter is generated in a stochastic scenario or from inflationary fluctuations. Even small deviations in the non-minimal couplings from the standard scenarios lead to significant qualitative and quantitative changes. This is due to the curvature-coupling driven superho…
Axion cold dark matter from standard misalignment typically requires a decay constant $f_a~\gtrsim~10^{11}$ GeV. Kinetic misalignment and parametric resonance easily allow lower values of $f_a$ when the radial Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry breaking field takes large initial values. Here, we consider the effects of inflation on kinetic misalignment and parametric resonance. We assume that the initial PQ field value is determined by quantum fluctuations, and is set by the Hubble parameter during inflation, $H_I$, and the PQ field mass. PQ field oscillations begin before or after the completion of r…
We consider how QCD axions produced by the misalignment mechanism could form galactic dark matter halos. We recall that stationary, gravitationally stable axion field configurations have the size of an asteroid with masses of order $10^{-13} $ solar masses (because gradient pressure is insufficient to support a larger object). We call such field configurations "drops". We explore whether rotating drops could be larger, and find that their mass could increase by a factor ~ 10. Remarkably this mass is comparable to the mass of miniclusters generated from misalignment axions in the scenario where…
We consider Dark Matter composed of an oscillating singlet scalar field. On top of the mass term, the scalar is equipped with a potential spontaneously breaking Z_2-symmetry. This potential dominates at early times and leads to the time-dependent expectation value of the scalar, which decreases in the expanding Universe. As it drops below some critical value, the symmetry gets restored, and the Dark Matter field starts to oscillate around zero. We arrange the spontaneous symmetry breaking through the interaction of the scalar with the Ricci curvature. In that way, superheavy Dark Matter can be…
We explore the cosmology and phenomenology of millicharged and millicharge-like dark matter with masses from 1 eV to 10 keV and charges of $10^{-18}$ to $10^{-14}$. Dark matter in this mass range cannot be thermally produced, but can arise from non-thermal mechanisms. We propose a concrete model employing a spontaneously broken approximate global symmetry, in which millicharged dark matter is produced via the misalignment mechanism. We show that this production mechanism is cosmologically consistent and compatible with the observed dark matter abundance. This model can be implemented using eit…
We explore a scenario that the dark matter is a boson condensate created by the misalignment mechanism, in which a spin 0 boson (an axion-like particle) and a spin 1 boson (the dark photon) are considered, respectively. We find that although the sub-MeV dark matter boson is extremely stable, the huge number of dark matter particles in a galaxy halo makes the decaying signal detectable. A galaxy halo is a large structure bounded by gravity with a typical $\sim10^{12}$ solar mass, and the majority of its components are made of dark matter. For the axion-like particle case, it decays via $ϕ\to γγ…
We explore whether the axion which solves the strong CP problem can naturally be much lighter than the canonical QCD axion. The $Z_\mathcal{N}$ symmetry proposed by Hook, with $\mathcal{N}$ mirror and degenerate worlds coexisting in Nature and linked by the axion field, is considered and the associated phenomenology is studied in detail. On a second step, we show that dark matter can be accounted for by this extremely light axion. This includes the first proposal of a "fuzzy dark matter" QCD axion. A novel misalignment mechanism occurs -- trapped misalignment -- due to the peculiar temperature…
The QCD axion is one of the best motivated dark matter candidates. The misalignment mechanism is well known to produce an abundance of the QCD axion consistent with dark matter for an axion decay constant of order $10^{12}$ GeV. For a smaller decay constant, the QCD axion, with Peccei-Quinn symmetry broken during inflation, makes up only a fraction of dark matter unless the axion field starts oscillating very close to the top of its potential, in a scenario called "large-misalignment". In this scenario, QCD axion dark matter with a small axion decay constant is partially comprised of very dens…
In the conventional misalignment mechanism, the axion field has a constant initial field value in the early universe and later begins to oscillate. We present an alternative scenario where the axion field has a nonzero initial velocity, allowing an axion decay constant much below the conventional prediction from axion dark matter. This axion velocity can be generated from explicit breaking of the axion shift symmetry in the early universe, which may occur as this symmetry is approximate.
Cosmological axions, an important dark matter candidate, are generated when a scalar field with a spontaneously broken O(2) invariance develops an explicitly O(2)-breaking tilt cosmologically, leading to coherent production of long-wavelength modes which could be dark matter. It appears that the production efficiency of this mechanism is low, despite possible production from topological structures. To understand this better, we examine production in O(N) generalizations. In particular we highlight the importance of how fast the explicit O(N)-breaking potential turns on.
Axions are some of the best motivated particles beyond the Standard Model. We show how the attractive self-interactions of dark matter (DM) axions over a broad range of masses, from $10^{-22}$ eV to $10^7$ GeV, can lead to nongravitational growth of density fluctuations and the formation of bound objects. This structure formation enhancement is driven by parametric resonance when the initial field misalignment is large, and it affects axion density perturbations on length scales of order the Hubble horizon when the axion field starts oscillating, deep inside the radiation-dominated era. This e…
We study the impact of sphaleron-induced thermal friction on the axion dark-matter abundance due to the interaction of an axion-like particle (ALP) with a dark non-abelian gauge sector in a secluded thermal bath. Thermal friction can either enhance the axion relic density by delaying the onset of oscillations or suppress it by damping them. We derive an analytical formula for the \emph{frictional adiabatic invariant}, which remains constant along the axion evolution and which allows us to compute the axion relic density in a general set-up. Even in the most minimal scenario, in which a single …
We study for what specific values of the theoretical parameters the axion can form the totality of cold dark matter. We examine the allowed axion parameter region in the light of recent data collected by the WMAP5 mission plus baryon acoustic oscillations and supernovae, and assume an inflationary scenario and standard cosmology. If the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is restored after inflation, we recover the usual relation between axion mass and density, so that an axion mass $m_a =67\pm2{\rm μeV}$ makes the axion 100% of the cold dark matter. If the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is broken during inflation, …
Analytical study of birefringent cavities for axion-like dark matter search
Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University（冈山大学理工融合研究 institute）；Theory Center, Institute for Particles and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)（高能加速器研究机构粒子与核物理研究所理论中心）；Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)（综合研究大学院大学）；Institute of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba（筑波大学系统信息工程学研究所）；Center for Artificial Intelligence Research, University of Tsukuba（筑波大学人工智能研究中心）；Institute for Quantum Studies, Chapman University（查普曼大学量子研究 institute）
Many existing and proposed experiments targeting QCD axion dark matter (DM) can also search for a broad class of axion-like particles (ALPs). We analyze the experimental sensitivities to electromagnetically-coupled ALP DM in different cosmological scenarios with the relic abundance set by the misalignment mechanism. We obtain benchmark DM targets for the standard thermal cosmology, a pre-nucleosynthesis period of early matter domination, and a period of kination. These targets are theoretically simple and assume $\mathcal{O}(1)$ misalignment angles, avoiding fine-tuning of the initial conditio…
We study a dark matter (DM) model offering a very natural explanation of two (naively unrelated) problems in cosmology: the observed relation $Ω_{\rm DM}\simΩ_{\rm visible}$ and the observed asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the Universe, known as the "baryogenesis" problem. In this framework, both types of matter (dark and visible) have the same QCD origin, form at the same QCD epoch, and both proportional to one and the same dimensional parameter of the system, $Λ_{\rm QCD}$, which explains how these two, naively distinct, problems could be intimately related, and could be solved si…
We propose a new non-thermal mechanism of dark matter production based on vacuum misalignment. A global $X$-charge asymmetry is generated at high temperatures, under which both the will-be Higgs and the dark matter are charged. At lower energies, the vacuum changes alignment and breaks the $U(1)_X$, leading to the emergence of the Higgs and of a fraction of charge asymmetry stored in the stable dark matter relic. This mechanism can be present in a wide variety of models based on vacuum misalignment, and we demonstrate it in a composite Higgs template model, where all the necessary ingredients …
The recently reported X-ray line signal at $E_γ\simeq 3.5\, {\rm keV}$ from a stacked spectrum of various galaxy clusters and the Andromeda galaxy may be originating from a decaying dark matter particle of the mass $2 E_γ$. A light axion-like scalar is suggested as a natural candidate for dark matter and its production mechanisms are closely examined. We show that the right amount of axion relic density with the preferred parameters, $m_a \simeq 7 \,{\rm keV}$ and $f_a \simeq 4\times 10^{14}\, {\rm GeV}$, can be naturally obtainable from the decay of inflaton. If the axions were produced from …
The axion field, the angular direction of the complex scalar field associated with the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry, could have originated with initial non-zero velocity. The presence of a non-zero angular velocity resulting from additional terms in the potential that explicitly break the PQ symmetry has important phenomenological consequences such as a modification of the axion mass with respect to the conventional PQ framework or an explanation for the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry. We elaborate further on the consequences of the "kinetic misalignmen…
The QCD axion serves as a well-motivated dark matter candidate and the misalignment mechanism is known to reproduce the observed abundance with a decay constant $f_a \simeq \mathcal{O}(10^{12})$ GeV for a misalignment angle $θ_{\rm mis} \simeq \mathcal{O}(1)$. While $f_a \ll 10^{12}$ GeV is of great experimental interest, the misalignment mechanism requires the axion to be very close to the hilltop, i.e. $θ_{\rm mis} \simeq π$. This particular choice of $θ_{\rm mis}$ has been understood as fine-tuning the initial condition. We offer a dynamical explanation for $θ_{\rm mis} \simeq π$ in a class…
The QCD axion is a good dark matter candidate. The observed dark matter abundance can arise from misalignment or defect mechanisms, which generically require an axion decay constant $f_a \sim \mathcal{O}(10^{11})$ GeV (or higher). We introduce a new cosmological origin for axion dark matter, parametric resonance from oscillations of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking field, that requires $f_a \sim (10^8 -10^{11})$ GeV. The axions may be warm enough to give deviations from cold dark matter in Large Scale Structure.
Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学）；Center of Advanced Quantum Studies, School of Physics and Astronomy, Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学物理与天文学院先进量子研究中心）
Several theoretical motivations point to ultralight QCD axions with large decay constants $f_a \simeq \mathcal{O}(10^{16}-10^{17})$ GeV, to which experimental proposals are dedicated. This regime is known to face the problem of overproduction of axion dark matter from the misalignment mechanism unless the misalignment angle $θ_{\rm mis}$ is as small as $\mathcal{O}(10^{-3}-10^{-4})$, which is generally considered a fine-tuning problem. We investigate a dynamical explanation for a small $θ_{\rm mis}$. The axion mass arises from strong dynamics and may be sufficiently enhanced by early dynamics …
We study axion dark matter production from a misalignment mechanism in scenarios featuring a general nonstandard cosmology. Before the onset of Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the energy density of the universe is dominated by a particle field $ϕ$ described by a general equation of state $ω$. The ensuing enhancement of the Hubble expansion rate decreases the temperature at which axions start to oscillate, opening this way the possibility for axions heavier than in the standard window. This is the case for kination, or in general for scenarios with $ω> 1/3$. However, if $ω< 1/3$, as in the case of an…
If inflation occurs after the breaking of Peccei-Quinn symmetry then large values of the breaking scale $F$, which are forbidden in conventional axion cosmology, are permitted, provided that we inhabit a region of the Multiverse where the initial misalignment is small. Regions having approximately this initial misalignment may occupy a small volume of the Multiverse, but they contain a large fraction of potential observers. This scenario has many consequences, including a possible explanation of the approximate equality of dark and baryon matter densities.
These lectures, presented at TASI 2018, provide a concise introduction to inflation, baryogenesis, and aspects of dark matter not covered by the other lectures. The emphasis for inflation is an intuitive understanding and techniques for constraining inflationary models. For baryogenesis we focus on two examples, leptogenesis and electroweak baryogenesis, with attention to singlet-assisted two-step phase transitions. Concerning dark matter, we review different classes of models distinguished by their mechanisms for obtaining the observed relic density, including thermal freeze-out, asymmetric d…
We consider a class of models in which thermal dark matter is lighter than an MeV. If dark matter thermalizes with the Standard Model below the temperature of neutrino-photon decoupling, equilibration and freeze-out cools and heats the Standard Model bath comparably, alleviating constraints from measurements of the effective number of neutrino species. We demonstrate this mechanism in a model consisting of fermionic dark matter coupled to a light scalar mediator. Thermal dark matter can be as light as a few keV, while remaining compatible with existing cosmological and astrophysical observatio…
Dark matter made from non-thermally produced bosons can have very low, possibly sub-eV masses. Axions and hidden photons are prominent examples of such "dark" very weakly interacting light (slim) particles (WISPs). A suitable mechanism for their non-thermal production is the misalignment mechanism. Their dominant interaction with Standard Model (SM) particles is via photons. In this note we want to go beyond these standard examples and discuss a wide range of scalar and pseudo-scalar bosons interacting with SM matter fermions via derivative interactions. Suitably light candidates arise natural…
We consider thermal production mechanisms of self-interacting dark matter in models with gauged $Z_3$ symmetry. A complex scalar dark matter is stabilized by the $Z_3$, that is the remnant of a local dark $U(1)_d$. Light dark matter with large self-interaction can be produced from thermal freeze-out in the presence of SM-annihilation, SIMP and/or forbidden channels. We show that dark photon and/or dark Higgs should be relatively light for unitarity and then assist the thermal freeze-out. We identify the constraints on the parameter space of dark matter self-interaction and mass in cases that o…
Entering the Era of Measuring Sub-Galactic Dark Matter Structure: Accurate Transfer Functions for Axino, Gravitino & Sterile Neutrino Thermal Warm Dark Matter
Particle production at the end of a first-order electroweak phase transition may be rather generic in theories beyond the standard model. Dark matter may then be abundantly produced by this mechanism if it has a sizable coupling to the Higgs field. For an electroweak phase transition occuring at a temperature T_EW ~ 50-100 GeV, non-thermally generated dark matter with mass M_X > TeV will survive thermalization after the phase transition, and could then potentially account for the observed dark matter relic density in scenarios where a thermal dark matter component is either too small or absent…
We study a class of dark matter models in which the dark matter is a baryon-like composite particle of a confining gauge group and also a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson associated with the breaking of an enhanced chiral symmetry group. The approximate symmetry decouples the dark matter mass from the confinement scale of the new gauge group, leading to correct thermal relic abundances for dark matter masses far below the unitary bound, avoiding the typical conclusion of thermally produced composite dark matter. We explore the available parameter space in a minimal example model based on an SU(2) …
We reconsider thermal production of axinos in the early universe, adding: a) missed terms in the axino interaction; b) production via gluon decays kinematically allowed by thermal masses; c) a precise modeling of reheating. We find an axino abunance a few times larger than previous computations.
Gravitational waves provide a novel way to probe axions or axion-like particles coupled to a dark photon field, even in the absence of couplings to Standard Model particles. In the conventional misalignment mechanism, the generation of an observable stochastic gravitational wave background, however, requires large axion decay constants. We here investigate the gravitational wave signal generated within the kinetic misalignment scenario, where the axion is assumed to have a large initial velocity. Its kinetic energy then provides a sufficiently high energy budget to generate a detectable gravit…
