The dark-matter axion mass

Abstract

We evaluate the efficiency of axion production from spatially random initial conditions in the axion field, so a network of axionic strings is present. For the first time, we perform numerical simulations which fully account for the large short-distance contributions to the axionic string tension, and the resulting dense network of high-tension axionic strings. We find nevertheless that the total axion production is somewhat less efficient than in the angle-averaged misalignment case. Combining our results with a recent determination of the hot QCD topological susceptibility (Borsanyi et al 2016), we find that if the axion makes up all of the dark matter, then the axion mass is m_a = 26.2 +-3.4 micro-electron volts.

19 pages including 8 figures and appendices

References in corpus (5)

• Improved estimation of radiated axions from cosmological axionic strings
• Cosmic string loops in the expanding universe
• Axion cold dark matter in view of BICEP2 results
• Astrophysical Effects of Scalar Dark Matter Miniclusters
• Miniclusters in the Axiverse

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• Imprints of the Early Universe on Axion Dark Matter Substructure
• Simulations of axion-like particles in the post-inflationary scenario
• Topology and axions in QCD
• The QCD Axion and Gravitational Waves in light of NANOGrav results
• Quasibound states of charged dilatonic black holes
• Isocurvature bounds on axion-like particle dark matter in the post-inflationary scenario
• Closer look at white hole remnants