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Main Authors: Badziak, Marcin, Harigaya, Keisuke, Łukawski, Michał, Ziegler, Robert
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.05621
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author Badziak, Marcin
Harigaya, Keisuke
Łukawski, Michał
Ziegler, Robert
author_facet Badziak, Marcin
Harigaya, Keisuke
Łukawski, Michał
Ziegler, Robert
contents Hot axions are produced in the early Universe via their interactions with Standard Model particles, contributing to dark radiation commonly parameterized as $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$. In standard QCD axion benchmark models, this contribution to $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ is negligible after taking into account astrophysical limits such as the SN1987A bound. We therefore compute the axion contribution to $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ in so-called astrophobic axion models characterized by strongly suppressed axion couplings to nucleons and electrons, in which astrophysical constraints are relaxed and $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ may be sizable. We also construct new astrophobic models in which axion couplings to photons and/or muons are suppressed as well, allowing for axion masses as large as few eV. Most astrophobic models are within the reach of CMB-S4, while some allow for $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ as large as the current upper bound from Planck and thus will be probed by the Simons Observatory. The majority of astrophobic axion models predicting large $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ is also within the reach of IAXO or even BabyIAXO.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_05621
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Thermal production of astrophobic axions
Badziak, Marcin
Harigaya, Keisuke
Łukawski, Michał
Ziegler, Robert
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Hot axions are produced in the early Universe via their interactions with Standard Model particles, contributing to dark radiation commonly parameterized as $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$. In standard QCD axion benchmark models, this contribution to $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ is negligible after taking into account astrophysical limits such as the SN1987A bound. We therefore compute the axion contribution to $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ in so-called astrophobic axion models characterized by strongly suppressed axion couplings to nucleons and electrons, in which astrophysical constraints are relaxed and $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ may be sizable. We also construct new astrophobic models in which axion couplings to photons and/or muons are suppressed as well, allowing for axion masses as large as few eV. Most astrophobic models are within the reach of CMB-S4, while some allow for $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ as large as the current upper bound from Planck and thus will be probed by the Simons Observatory. The majority of astrophobic axion models predicting large $ΔN_{\text{eff}}$ is also within the reach of IAXO or even BabyIAXO.
title Thermal production of astrophobic axions
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.05621