The meso-inflationary axion scenario

Abstract: In this talk I will describe a new scenario for the QCD axion where the Peccei-Quinn symmetry is broken after the beginning of visible inflation. This regime interpolates between popular pre-inflationary and post-inflationary axion scenarios with different phenomenological features from both. In particular in some region of parameters the PQ symmetry breaking is visible after QCD confinement, modifying the axion dark matter abundance and with novel predictions for axion mini-clusters. I will then show, using the stochastic formalism of inflation, that the meso-inflationary regime is realized even in the simplest scenario, the KSVZ axion, when the decay constant of the axion is comparable to the Hubble scale during inflation for specific values of the quartic coupling.

general relativity and quantum cosmologyHEP - experimentHEP - latticeHEP - phenomenologyHEP - theory

Audience: researchers in the topic

( slides )

NKUA HEP Seminars

Series comments: Please email tomeasb(at)gmail(dot)com to obtain the meeting link and password. Unless explicitly requested otherwise, your email address will be included in our seminar mailing list.