Axion quality from the (anti)symmetric of SU( N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ )

• Main Authors: Marco Ardu, Luca Di Luzio, Giacomo Landini, Alessandro Strumia, Daniele Teresi, Jin-Wei Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2020-11-01
• Series: Journal of High Energy Physics
• Subjects: Beyond Standard Model; Cosmology of Theories beyond the SM; Global Symmetries
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP11(2020)090

Abstract We propose two models where a U(1) Peccei-Quinn global symmetry arises accidentally and is respected up to high-dimensional operators, so that the axion solution to the strong CP problem is successful even in the presence of Planck-suppressed operators. One model is SU( N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ ) gauge interactions with fermions in the fundamental and a scalar in the symmetric. The axion arises from spontaneous symmetry breaking to SO( N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ ), that confines at a lower energy scale. Axion quality in the model needs N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ ≳ 10. SO bound states and possibly monopoles provide extra Dark Matter candidates beyond the axion. In the second model the scalar is in the anti-symmetric: SU( N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ ) broken to Sp( N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ ) needs even N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ ≳ 20. The cosmological DM abundance, consisting of axions and/or super-heavy relics, can be reproduced if the PQ symmetry is broken before inflation (Boltzmann-suppressed production of super-heavy relics) or after (super-heavy relics in thermal equilibrium get partially diluted by dark glue-ball decays).