PIRSA:16030086

Video URL

https://pirsa.org/16030086

Ultralight Axions

Marsh, D. (2016). Ultralight Axions. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. https://pirsa.org/16030086

Marsh, David. Ultralight Axions. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Mar. 01, 2016, https://pirsa.org/16030086 

          @misc{ scivideos_PIRSA:16030086,
            doi = {10.48660/16030086},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/16030086},
            author = {Marsh, David},
            keywords = {Particle Physics},
            language = {en},
            title = {Ultralight Axions},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics},
            year = {2016},
            month = {mar},
            note = {PIRSA:16030086 see, \url{https://scivideos.org/pirsa/16030086}}
          }

David Marsh King's College London

Talk numberPIRSA:16030086
DOI10.48660/16030086
Source RepositoryPIRSA
Collection
Talk Type Scientific Series
Subject

Abstract

Axions, having a perturbative shift symmetry, can have masses much smaller than other types of particles in a technically natural way. Ultralight axions (ULAs) with m~10^{-22} eV are attractive dark matter candidates with novel properties that distinguish them from cold dark matter (CDM). A single ULA with a GUT scale decay constant provides the correct relic density without fine-tuning. Quantum gravitational effects are expected to break continuous global symmetries, and may spoil the axion potential. However, if the axion global symmetry is an accidental symmetry descending from an exact discrete symmetry, then the problematic higher dimensional operators can be forbidden to very high order. I will discuss the astrophysical and cosmological phenomenology of ULAs that makes them attractive, and methods to distinguish them from CDM observationally. I will also discuss a two-axion model which solves the strong CP problem and in addition possesses a ULA that may be detectable via ~month period nuclear spin precession in an experiment such as CASPEr-Wind. Given time, I may discuss other experimental searches for axion-like particles.