Axion Interactions with Domain and Bubble Walls

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Garcia, Isabel Garcia, Petrossian-Byrne, Rudin
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2024
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author Garcia, Isabel Garcia
Petrossian-Byrne, Rudin
author_facet Garcia, Isabel Garcia
Petrossian-Byrne, Rudin
contents We show that interactions between axion-like particles (ALPs) and co-dimension one defects, such as phase-transition bubble walls and solitonic domain walls, can lead to important changes in the evolution of both walls and ALPs. The leading effect arises from the change in the ALP decay constant across the interface, which naturally follows from shift-symmetric interactions with the corresponding order parameter. Specifically, we show that for thin walls moving relativistically, an ALP background -- such as e.g. axion dark matter -- gives rise to a frictional force on the interface that is proportional to $γ^2$, with $γ$ the Lorentz factor of the wall, and that this effect is present in both the oscillating and frozen axion regimes. We explore the broader consequences of this effect for bubble and domain walls in the early universe, and show that this source of friction can be present even in the absent of a conventional medium such as radiation or matter. Possible implications include modifications to the dynamics of bubble and domain walls and their corresponding gravitational wave signatures, as well as the generation of a dark radiation component of ALPs in the form of ultra-relativistic `axion shells' with Lorentz factor $γ_\text{shell} \simeq 2γ^2 \gg 1$ that may remain relativistic until the present day.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_09603
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Axion Interactions with Domain and Bubble Walls
Garcia, Isabel Garcia
Petrossian-Byrne, Rudin
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Theory
We show that interactions between axion-like particles (ALPs) and co-dimension one defects, such as phase-transition bubble walls and solitonic domain walls, can lead to important changes in the evolution of both walls and ALPs. The leading effect arises from the change in the ALP decay constant across the interface, which naturally follows from shift-symmetric interactions with the corresponding order parameter. Specifically, we show that for thin walls moving relativistically, an ALP background -- such as e.g. axion dark matter -- gives rise to a frictional force on the interface that is proportional to $γ^2$, with $γ$ the Lorentz factor of the wall, and that this effect is present in both the oscillating and frozen axion regimes. We explore the broader consequences of this effect for bubble and domain walls in the early universe, and show that this source of friction can be present even in the absent of a conventional medium such as radiation or matter. Possible implications include modifications to the dynamics of bubble and domain walls and their corresponding gravitational wave signatures, as well as the generation of a dark radiation component of ALPs in the form of ultra-relativistic `axion shells' with Lorentz factor $γ_\text{shell} \simeq 2γ^2 \gg 1$ that may remain relativistic until the present day.
title Axion Interactions with Domain and Bubble Walls
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.09603