QCD String Axions and $M$-theory

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Acharya, Bobby Samir, Torres, Ethan
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Acharya, Bobby Samir
Torres, Ethan
author_facet Acharya, Bobby Samir
Torres, Ethan
contents In $SU(N)$ Yang-Mills theory without matter, there exist stable long electric fluxtube strings which carry a 1-form symmetry charge. Over the past decade or so, there has been increasing evidence from lattice calculations that the worldsheet theories of such QCD strings contain a massive pseudoscalar (axion), at least when $N\geq 3$. This has so far been puzzling from the perspective of holographic realizations of strings in confining gauge theories. In this note, we will show how such axions appear naturally in the realization of 4D $\mathcal{N}=1$ Super-Yang-Mills (SYM) from $M$-theory spacetimes in which the extra dimensions are modeled by certain complete metrics of $G_2$-holonomy. This picture predicts that QCD string axions exist only if the gauge group is $SU(N\geq 3)$, $SO(4N+2)$, or $E_6$ (or a quotient/double-cover thereof), and is absent from the spectrum of stable QCD strings if the gauge group is $SU(2)$, $SO(2N+1)$, $SO(4N)$, $Sp(N)$, or $E_7$. We argue why we expect this pattern to persist for non-supersymmetric Yang-Mills strings, at least for large $N$, something which could be tested in future lattice studies of QCD strings for gauge algebras of B, C, D, and E-type.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_08566
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle QCD String Axions and $M$-theory
Acharya, Bobby Samir
Torres, Ethan
High Energy Physics - Theory
High Energy Physics - Lattice
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
In $SU(N)$ Yang-Mills theory without matter, there exist stable long electric fluxtube strings which carry a 1-form symmetry charge. Over the past decade or so, there has been increasing evidence from lattice calculations that the worldsheet theories of such QCD strings contain a massive pseudoscalar (axion), at least when $N\geq 3$. This has so far been puzzling from the perspective of holographic realizations of strings in confining gauge theories. In this note, we will show how such axions appear naturally in the realization of 4D $\mathcal{N}=1$ Super-Yang-Mills (SYM) from $M$-theory spacetimes in which the extra dimensions are modeled by certain complete metrics of $G_2$-holonomy. This picture predicts that QCD string axions exist only if the gauge group is $SU(N\geq 3)$, $SO(4N+2)$, or $E_6$ (or a quotient/double-cover thereof), and is absent from the spectrum of stable QCD strings if the gauge group is $SU(2)$, $SO(2N+1)$, $SO(4N)$, $Sp(N)$, or $E_7$. We argue why we expect this pattern to persist for non-supersymmetric Yang-Mills strings, at least for large $N$, something which could be tested in future lattice studies of QCD strings for gauge algebras of B, C, D, and E-type.
title QCD String Axions and $M$-theory
topic High Energy Physics - Theory
High Energy Physics - Lattice
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.08566