Relaxing the Cosmological Moduli Problem by Low-scale Inflation

Abstract

We show that the cosmological abundance of string axions is much smaller than naive estimates if the Hubble scale of inflation, $H_{\inf }$, is sufficiently low (but can still be much higher than the axion masses) and if the inflation lasts sufficiently long. The reason is that the initial misalignment angles of the string axions follow the Bunch-Davies distribution peaked at the potential minima. As a result, the cosmological moduli problem induced by the string axions can be significantly relaxed by low-scale inflation, and astrophysical and cosmological bounds are satisfied over a wide range of the mass without any fine-tuning of the initial misalignment angles. Specifically, the axion with its decay constant $f_{\varphi }=10^{16}$\,GeV satisfies the bounds over $10^{-18}\mathrm{eV}\lesssim m_{\varphi }\lesssim 10\mathrm{TeV}$ for $H_{\inf }\lesssim 10\mathrm{keV}-10^6$\,{\rm GeV}. We also discuss cases with multiple axions and the QCD axion.

19pages, 4figures; v2: version to appear in JHEP

References in corpus (65)

• A Universal Density Profile from Hierarchical Clustering
• The Structure of Cold Dark Matter Halos
• de Sitter Vacua in String Theory
• String Axiverse
• Axions In String Theory
• Leptogenesis
• Four-dimensional String Compactifications with D-Branes, Orientifolds and Fluxes
• Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis and Hadronic Decay of Long-Lived Massive Particles
• Flux compactifications in string theory: a comprehensive review
• Baryogenesis from Flat Directions of the Supersymmetric Standard Model
• Leptogenesis as the origin of matter
• Model Independent Properties and Cosmological Implications of the Dilaton and Moduli Sectors of 4-d Strings
• The type IIB string axiverse and its low-energy phenomenology
• Thermal Inflation and the Moduli Problem
• Inflationary Cosmology
• The QCD Axion and Moduli Stabilisation
• Eternal inflation and its implications
• Constraining Light Dark Matter with Diffuse X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Observations
• Inflation and Eternal Inflation
• Revisiting Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis Constraints on Long-Lived Decaying Particles
• Standard Model Criticality Prediction: Top mass 173 +/- 5 GeV and Higgs mass 135 +/- 9 GeV
• Comments on Supercurrent Multiplets, Supersymmetric Field Theories and Supergravity
• Moduli-Induced Gravitino Problem
• Gravitino Production from Heavy Moduli Decay and Cosmological Moduli Problem Revived
• Moduli Decays and Gravitinos
• An M Theory Solution to the Strong CP Problem and Constraints on the Axiverse
• Dark Radiation in LARGE Volume Models
• The Stochastic Axion Scenario
• Solving the Cosmological Moduli Problem with Weak Scale Inflation
• The QCD Axion Window and Low Scale Inflation
• The ALP miracle: unified inflaton and dark matter
• The Cosmology of String Theoretic Axions
• Dark Radiation and Dark Matter in Large Volume Compactifications
• Cosmological window onto the string axiverse and the supersymmetry breaking scale
• Moduli/Inflaton Mixing with Supersymmetry Breaking Field
• Relaxing the Cosmological Moduli Problem
• Affleck-Dine Baryogenesis after Thermal Inflation
• The ALP miracle revisited
• Natural and Multi-Natural Inflation in Axion Landscape
• Moduli-Induced Axion Problem
• Heterotic Moduli Stabilisation
• Cosmological Moduli Problem and Thermal Inflation Models
• Suppressing Isocurvature Perturbations of QCD Axion Dark Matter
• Cosmological Moduli Problem in Gauge-mediated Supersymmetry Breaking Theories
• On the Adiabatic Solution to the Polonyi/Moduli Problem
• Constraint on Cosmic Density of the String Moduli Field in Gauge-Mediated Supersymmetry-Breaking Theories
• A measure of the multiverse
• Predictions in eternal inflation
• Splitting Mass Spectra and Muon g-2 in Higgs-Anomaly Mediation
• Axion Landscape and Natural Inflation
• String theoretic QCD axion with stabilized saxion and the pattern of supersymmetry breaking
• Axion Cosmology with a Stronger QCD in the Early Universe
• Note on moduli stabilization, supersymmetry breaking and axiverse
• A Novel Approach to Fine-Tuned Supersymmetric Standard Models -- Case of Non-Universal Higgs Masses model
• Topological Higgs inflation: The origin of the Standard Model criticality
• Cosmological Moduli Problem in Low Cutoff Theory
• Flavor-Safe Light Squarks in Higgs-Anomaly Mediation
• Vacuum statistics and stability in axionic landscapes
• Leptogenesis via Neutrino Oscillation Magic
• Nambu-Goldstone Boson Hypothesis for Squarks and Sleptons in Pure Gravity Mediation
• On the Moduli Problem and Baryogenesis in Gauge-mediated SUSY Breaking Models
• Vacuum Selection on Axionic Landscapes
• Coupling Supersymmetric Nonlinear Sigma Models to Supergravity
• Dark Matter in Axion Landscape
• Primordial Lepton Oscillations and Baryogenesis

Cited by in corpus (31)

• AION: An Atom Interferometer Observatory and Network
• Misalignment & Co.: (Pseudo-)scalar and vector dark matter with curvature couplings
• Dark matter from scalar field fluctuations
• QCD Axion on Hilltop by a Phase Shift of $\pi$
• Superheavy scalar dark matter from gravitational particle production in $\alpha$-attractor models of inflation
• ALP Dark Matter in a Primordial Black Hole Dominated Universe
• ALP inflation and Big Bang on Earth
• Small Field Polynomial Inflation: Reheating, Radiative Stability and Lower Bound
• Challenges for heavy QCD axion inflation
• Stochastic Axion Dark Matter in Axion Landscape
• Strong CP problem and axion dark matter with small instantons
• Cosmic Axion Force
• Scale and quality of Peccei-Quinn symmetry and weak gravity conjectures
• Cosmological effects of Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking on QCD axion dark matter
• Gravitational waves and neutrino oscillations in Chern-Simons axion gravity
• The Stochastic Axiverse
• What if ALP dark matter for the XENON1T excess is the inflaton
• Stochastic inflation with an extremely large number of $e$-folds
• QCD Axion Window and False Vacuum Higgs Inflation
• Direct baryogenesis in the broken phase
• The QCD Axion: A Unique Player in the Axiverse with Mixings
• Small cosmological constant from a peculiar inflaton potential
• Thermal production of cold "hot dark matter" around eV
• Challenging the Stability of Light Millicharged Dark Matter
• Bino-wino coannihilation as a prediction in the $E_7$ unification of families
• Hidden Dark Matter from Starobinsky Inflation
• Throwing away antimatter via neutrino oscillations during the reheating era
• Very Light Asymmetric Dark Matter
• Shining ALP Dark Radiation
• Spectator dark matter in non-standard cosmologies
• $\alpha$-attractor potentials in loop quantum cosmology