Cosmology of the invisible axion

John Preskill; Mark B. Wise; Frank Wilczek

doi:10.1016/0370-2693(83)90637-8

Cosmology of the invisible axion

John Preskill, Mark B. Wise, Frank Wilczek

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2133 Scopus citations

Abstract

We identify a new cosmological problem for models which solve the strong CP puzzle with an invisible axion, unrelated to the domain wall problem. Because the axion is very weakly coupled, the energy density stored in the oscillations of the classical axion field does not dissipate rapidly; it exceeds the critical density needed to close the universe unless f_a ≤ 10¹² GeV, where f_a is the axion decay constant. If this bound is saturated, axions may comprise the dark matter of the universe.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	127-132
Number of pages	6
Journal	Physics Letters B
Volume	120
Issue number	1-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/0370-2693(83)90637-8
State	Published - Jan 6 1983
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Nuclear and High Energy Physics

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10.1016/0370-2693(83)90637-8

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title = "Cosmology of the invisible axion",

abstract = "We identify a new cosmological problem for models which solve the strong CP puzzle with an invisible axion, unrelated to the domain wall problem. Because the axion is very weakly coupled, the energy density stored in the oscillations of the classical axion field does not dissipate rapidly; it exceeds the critical density needed to close the universe unless fa ≤ 1012 GeV, where fa is the axion decay constant. If this bound is saturated, axions may comprise the dark matter of the universe.",

author = "John Preskill and Wise, {Mark B.} and Frank Wilczek",

note = "Funding Information: Results very similar to ours have been obtained by Abbott and Sikivie [2]. We thank them, S. Hawking and A. Vilenkin for very helpful conservations. This research has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grants. No. PHY77-22864 and PHY77-27084, and by the Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-ACO3-81ER40050.",

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T1 - Cosmology of the invisible axion

AU - Preskill, John

AU - Wise, Mark B.

AU - Wilczek, Frank

N1 - Funding Information: Results very similar to ours have been obtained by Abbott and Sikivie [2]. We thank them, S. Hawking and A. Vilenkin for very helpful conservations. This research has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grants. No. PHY77-22864 and PHY77-27084, and by the Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-ACO3-81ER40050.

PY - 1983/1/6

Y1 - 1983/1/6

N2 - We identify a new cosmological problem for models which solve the strong CP puzzle with an invisible axion, unrelated to the domain wall problem. Because the axion is very weakly coupled, the energy density stored in the oscillations of the classical axion field does not dissipate rapidly; it exceeds the critical density needed to close the universe unless fa ≤ 1012 GeV, where fa is the axion decay constant. If this bound is saturated, axions may comprise the dark matter of the universe.

AB - We identify a new cosmological problem for models which solve the strong CP puzzle with an invisible axion, unrelated to the domain wall problem. Because the axion is very weakly coupled, the energy density stored in the oscillations of the classical axion field does not dissipate rapidly; it exceeds the critical density needed to close the universe unless fa ≤ 1012 GeV, where fa is the axion decay constant. If this bound is saturated, axions may comprise the dark matter of the universe.

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Cosmology of the invisible axion

Abstract

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