Thermal axions with multi-eV masses are possible in low-reheating scenarios

Abstract

We revise cosmological mass bounds on hadronic axions in low-reheating cosmological scenarios, with a reheating temperature $T_{\mathrm{RH}}\le 100$ MeV, in light of the latest cosmological observations. In this situation, the neutrino decoupling would be unaffected, while the thermal axion relic abundance is suppressed. Moreover, axions are colder in low-reheating temperature scenarios, so that bounds on their abundance are possibly loosened. As a consequence of these two facts, cosmological mass limits on axions are relaxed. Using state-of-the-art cosmological data and characterizing axion-pion interactions at the leading order in chiral perturbation theory, we find in the standard case an axion mass bound $m_a<0.26$ eV. However, axions with masses $m_a\simeq 1$ eV, or heavier, would be allowed for reheating temperatures $T_{\mathrm{RH}}\lesssim 80$ MeV. Multi-eV axions would be outside the mass sensitivity of current and planned solar axion helioscopes and would demand new experimental approaches to be detected.

v2: minor changes to match the version published on JCAP. 27 pages, 10 figures

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