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arXiv · 2307.08733

Implications of Protecting the QCD Axion in the Dual Description

Gongjun Choi·Jacob Leedom
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Abstract

The QCD axion can be 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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Gongjun Choi, Jacob Leedom. 2023-07-17. Implications of Protecting the QCD Axion in the Dual Description. https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.08733

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