Dark matter from an even lighter QCD axion: trapped misalignment

Abstract

We show that dark matter can be accounted for by an axion that solves the strong CP problem, but is much lighter than usual due to a $Z_{\mathcal{N}}$ symmetry. The whole mass range from the canonical QCD axion down to the ultra-light regime is allowed, with $3\le \mathcal{N}\lesssim 65$. This includes the first proposal of a "fuzzy dark matter" QCD axion with $m_a\sim 10^{-22}$ eV. A novel misalignment mechanism occurs --{\it trapped misalignment}-- due to the peculiar temperature dependence of the $Z_{\mathcal{N}}$ axion potential. The dark matter relic density is enhanced because the axion field undergoes two stages of oscillations: it is first trapped in the wrong minimum, which effectively delays the onset of true oscillations. Trapped misalignment is more general than the setup discussed here, and may hold whenever an extra source of Peccei-Quinn breaking appears at high temperatures. Furthermore, it will be shown that trapped misalignment can dynamically source the recently proposed kinetic misalignment mechanism. All the parameter space is within tantalizing reach of the experimental projects for the next decades. For instance, even Phase I of CASPEr-Electric could discover this axion.

arXiv comment48 pages, 21 figures. v2: Published version in JCAP

References in corpus (102)

• Axion Cosmology
• Ultralight scalars as cosmological dark matter
• Planck 2018 results. I. Overview and the cosmological legacy of Planck
• New CAST Limit on the Axion-Photon Interaction
• WISPy Cold Dark Matter
• The QCD axion, precisely
• Exploring the String Axiverse with Precision Black Hole Physics
• The landscape of QCD axion models
• Astrophysical Axion Bounds
• Discovering the QCD Axion with Black Holes and Gravitational Waves
• Revisiting the bound on axion-photon coupling from Globular Clusters
• Extended Search for the Invisible Axion with the Axion Dark Matter Experiment
• Revisiting the SN1987A gamma-ray limit on ultralight axion-like particles
• Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis After Planck
• New Observables for Direct Detection of Axion Dark Matter
• Any Light Particle Search II -- Technical Design Report
• Cosmic Axion Spin Precession Experiment (CASPEr)
• Results from phase 1 of the HAYSTAC microwave cavity axion experiment
• The ORGAN Experiment: An axion haloscope above 15 GHz
• Conceptual Design of the International Axion Observatory (IAXO)
• Cosmological implications of ultra-light axion-like fields
• The Early Mirror Universe: Inflation, Baryogenesis, Nucleosynthesis and Dark Matter
• Primordial gravitational waves, precisely: The role of thermodynamics in the Standard Model
• Search for Spectral Irregularities due to Photon-Axionlike-Particle Oscillations With the Fermi Large Area Telescope
• Tunable axion plasma haloscopes
• Improved axion emissivity from a supernova via nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung
• Axion Kinetic Misalignment Mechanism
• Redefining the Axion Window
• Mirror World and its Cosmological Consequences
• The Large-Misalignment Mechanism for the Formation of Compact Axion Structures: Signatures from the QCD Axion to Fuzzy Dark Matter
• Strong CP problem and mirror world: the Weinberg Wilczek axion revisited
• Grand unification and heavy axion
• Axion Dark Matter Search around 6.7 $\mu$eV
• Axion and neutrino bounds improved with new calibrations of the tip of the red-giant branch using geometric distance determinations
• Stellar Recipes for Axion Hunters
• Hot Axions and the $H_0$ tension
• Constraints on axionlike particles with H.E.S.S. from the irregularity of the PKS 2155-304 energy spectrum
• Searching for Dark Absorption with Direct Detection Experiments
• Search for axionlike dark matter with a liquid-state nuclear spin comagnetometer
• Axion search with a quantum-limited ferromagnetic haloscope
• Anomalous solutions to the strong CP problem
• Hadronic axion window and the big-bang nucleosynthesis
• Search for invisible axion dark matter of mass m${}_a=43\mu$eV with the QUAX--$a\gamma$ experiment
• Probing axions with neutron star inspirals and other stellar processes
• A New Bound on Axion-Like Particles
• A Proposal to Detect Dark Matter Using Axionic Topological Antiferromagnets
• New cosmological mass limit on thermal relic axions
• The photo-philic QCD axion
• Stochastic fluctuations of bosonic dark matter
• Factoring the Strong CP Problem
• A Model of Visible QCD Axion
• First Searches for Axions and Axion-Like Particles with the LUX Experiment
• The High Quality QCD Axion and the LHC
• Constraints on bosonic dark matter from ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance
• Solving the Hierarchy Problem Discretely
• Theta Vacua, QCD Sum Rules, and the Neutron Electric Dipole Moment
• Color Unifed Dynamical Axion
• A Visible QCD Axion from an Enlarged Color Group
• Relaxing the Cosmological Moduli Problem
• An even lighter QCD axion
• Constraints on Axion-like Particles and Nucleon Pairing in Dense Matter from the Hot Neutron Star in HESS J1731-347
• Search for axion-like dark matter using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance
• Poincare Protection for a Natural Electroweak Scale
• Prospects for axion searches with Advanced LIGO through binary mergers
• Experimental Targets for Photon Couplings of the QCD Axion
• The impact of ultra-light axion self-interactions on the large scale structure of the Universe
• Detectability of Axion Dark Matter with Phonon Polaritons and Magnons
• Axion-like Relics: New Constraints from Old Comagnetometer Data
• Misalignment & Co.: (Pseudo-)scalar and vector dark matter with curvature couplings
• Ultra high energy neutrinos from hidden-sector topological defects
• Effects of theta on the deuteron binding energy and the triple-alpha process
• Axion Fragmentation
• Lattice QCD for Cosmology
• Detecting Light Boson Dark Matter through Conversion into Magnon
• Storage Ring Probes of Dark Matter and Dark Energy
• QCD Axion on Hilltop by a Phase Shift of $\pi$
• A Composite Higgs with a Heavy Composite Axion
• Axion Misalignment Driven to the Hilltop
• Axion Isocurvature and Magnetic Monopoles
• A Flavorful Factoring of the Strong CP Problem
• Breakdown of chiral perturbation theory for the axion hot dark matter bound
• 750 GeV diphoton resonance in a visible heavy QCD axion model
• Axion dark matter search using the storage ring EDM method
• Mirror World, Supersymmetric Axion and Gamma Ray Bursts
• New Solutions to the Strong CP Problem
• Selective enhancement of the QCD axion couplings
• Adiabatic suppression of the axion abundance and isocurvature due to coupling to hidden monopoles
• Overview of the Cosmic Axion Spin Precession Experiment (CASPEr)
• A Time-Varying Fine Structure Constant from Naturally Ultralight Dark Matter
• Cosmological Tension of Ultralight Axion Dark Matter and its Solutions
• Precision calculation of the axion-nucleon coupling in chiral perturbation theory
• $\theta$-dependence of light nuclei and nucleosynthesis
• Maximal axion misalignment from a minimal model
• Compact Dark Matter Objects via $N$ Dark Sectors
• Trapping Effect for QCD Axion Dark Matter
• TASI Lectures on Primordial Cosmology
• Light axions with large hadronic couplings
• Dynamical axion misalignment with small instantons
• Exploring ALPs beyond the canonical
• Heavy axion in asymptotically safe QCD
• Non-linearly realized discrete symmetries
• Kick-alignment: matter asymmetry sourced dark matter

Cited by in corpus (22)

• First Search for Axion-Like Particles in a Storage Ring Using a Polarized Deuteron Beam
• Audible Axions with a Booster: Stochastic Gravitational Waves from Rotating ALPs
• WISPLC: Search for Dark Matter with LC Circuit
• New Limit on Axion-Like Dark Matter using Cold Neutrons
• Probing Relativistic Axions from Transient Astrophysical Sources
• ALP Dark Matter Mini-Clusters from Kinetic Fragmentation
• Axion-pion thermalization rate in unitarized NLO chiral perturbation theory
• ALP Searches at the LHC: FASER as a Light Shining through Walls Experiment
• Dark Matter Axions in the Early Universe with a Period of Increasing Temperature
• From axion quality and naturalness problems to a high-quality ${\mathbb{Z}}_N$ QCD relaxion
• QCD Axion Kinetic Misalignment without Prejudice
• Searching for Ultra-Light Axions with Twisted Cavity Resonators of Anyon Rotational Symmetry with Bulk Modes of Non-Zero Helicity
• Enhanced Early Galaxy Formation in JWST from Axion Dark Matter?
• Discovering QCD-Coupled Axion Dark Matter with Polarization Haloscopes
• Detecting neutrino-boosted axion dark matter in the MeV gap
• Aspects of Axions and ALPs Phenomenology
• Discrete Goldstone Bosons
• ALP Dark Matter from Kinetic Fragmentation: Opening up the Parameter Window
• The Forward Physics Facility at the High-Luminosity LHC
• Ultralight Axions Versus Primordial Black Holes
• Axion signatures from supernova explosions through the nucleon electric-dipole portal
• Axion Free-kick Misalignment Mechanism