Abstract
The QCD axion can be formulated in a dual description as a massive 2-form field. In this picture, the QCD axion quality problem translates into the question if there are additional 3-forms coupled to the axion other than the QCD 3-form that emerges at low energy. If such forms exist, the quality problem can be resolved via the introduction of other massive 2-forms (and thus corresponding axions), one for each additional 3-form. This can motivate an “axiverse from a high quality QCD axion”. In this work, we discuss this issue in the general case where the QCD axion couples to arbitrarily many 3-forms. Given the multiple axion solution, we discuss the phenomenological implications of the enhanced quality of the QCD axion in the dual description. These include sub-eV axion-like particle search through the axion-photon coupling, the cosmological consistency of a large decay constant QCD axion, and a model for the observed cosmic birefringence.
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Acknowledgments
G.C. would like to thank DESY and Imperial College London for their hospitality and support during the completion of this work. J.M.L. would like to thank King’s College and the University of Groningen for their hospitality during the completion of this work. We are grateful to Clifford Burgess, Kiwoon Choi, Tony Gherghetta, Thomas Konstandin, Fernando Quevedo, Jérémie Quevillon, Fabrizio Rompineve, Geraldine Servant and Alexander Westphal for discussions. We thank Alexander Westphal and Nemanja Kaloper for comments on a draft of this work. J.M.L. is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under Germany’s Excellence Strategy — EXC 2121 “Quantum Universe”.
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Choi, G., Leedom, J. Implications of protecting the QCD axion in the dual description. J. High Energ. Phys. 2023, 175 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2023)175
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2023)175