Axions in the dark dimension

Abstract The dark dimension scenario, which is motivated from Swampland principles and predicts a single micron scale extra dimension, suggests a consistent framework for the dark sector of the universe. We consider the implications of this scenario for the QCD axion. We find that in the scenario in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Naomi Gendler, Cumrun Vafa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of High Energy Physics
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP12(2024)127
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Summary:Abstract The dark dimension scenario, which is motivated from Swampland principles and predicts a single micron scale extra dimension, suggests a consistent framework for the dark sector of the universe. We consider the implications of this scenario for the QCD axion. We find that in the scenario in which the axion is localized on the standard model brane (which we will argue is natural), a combination of theoretical (being bounded by the 5D Planck mass) and observational constraints forces it to have decay constant in a narrow range f ~ 109 – 1010 GeV. This corresponds to a mass for the QCD axion of m a ~ (1 – 10) meV. The axion mass surprisingly coincides with the mass scale for the dark energy, the dark matter tower, and the neutrinos. In this scenario axions are not expected to form a large fraction of the dark matter but nevertheless this range of axion parameters is accessible to observations in near future experiments.
ISSN:1029-8479