Runaway relaxion monodromy
Abstract We examine the relaxion mechanism in string theory. An essential feature is that an axion winds over N ≫ 1 fundamental periods. In string theory realizations via axion monodromy, this winding number corresponds to a physical charge carried by branes or fluxes. We show that — in the context...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2018-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of High Energy Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP02(2018)124 |
| _version_ | 1819035682942746624 |
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| author | Liam McAllister Pedro Schwaller Geraldine Servant John Stout Alexander Westphal |
| author_facet | Liam McAllister Pedro Schwaller Geraldine Servant John Stout Alexander Westphal |
| author_sort | Liam McAllister |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We examine the relaxion mechanism in string theory. An essential feature is that an axion winds over N ≫ 1 fundamental periods. In string theory realizations via axion monodromy, this winding number corresponds to a physical charge carried by branes or fluxes. We show that — in the context of NS5-brane axion monodromy — this charge backreacts on the compact space, ruining the structure of the relaxion action. In particular, the barriers generated by strong gauge dynamics have height ∝ e −N , so the relaxion does not stop when the Higgs acquires a vev. Backreaction of monodromy charge can therefore spoil the relaxion mechanism. We comment on the limitations of technical naturalness arguments in this context. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T07:53:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b305a493d364fa1b8f856f5a0e209bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1029-8479 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T07:53:31Z |
| publishDate | 2018-02-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of High Energy Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b305a493d364fa1b8f856f5a0e209bb2022-12-21T19:11:01ZengSpringerOpenJournal of High Energy Physics1029-84792018-02-012018216110.1007/JHEP02(2018)124Runaway relaxion monodromyLiam McAllister0Pedro Schwaller1Geraldine Servant2John Stout3Alexander Westphal4Department of Physics, Cornell UniversityDESYDESYDepartment of Physics, Cornell UniversityDESYAbstract We examine the relaxion mechanism in string theory. An essential feature is that an axion winds over N ≫ 1 fundamental periods. In string theory realizations via axion monodromy, this winding number corresponds to a physical charge carried by branes or fluxes. We show that — in the context of NS5-brane axion monodromy — this charge backreacts on the compact space, ruining the structure of the relaxion action. In particular, the barriers generated by strong gauge dynamics have height ∝ e −N , so the relaxion does not stop when the Higgs acquires a vev. Backreaction of monodromy charge can therefore spoil the relaxion mechanism. We comment on the limitations of technical naturalness arguments in this context.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP02(2018)124Discrete SymmetriesEffective Field TheoriesFlux compactifications |
| spellingShingle | Liam McAllister Pedro Schwaller Geraldine Servant John Stout Alexander Westphal Runaway relaxion monodromy Journal of High Energy Physics Discrete Symmetries Effective Field Theories Flux compactifications |
| title | Runaway relaxion monodromy |
| title_full | Runaway relaxion monodromy |
| title_fullStr | Runaway relaxion monodromy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Runaway relaxion monodromy |
| title_short | Runaway relaxion monodromy |
| title_sort | runaway relaxion monodromy |
| topic | Discrete Symmetries Effective Field Theories Flux compactifications |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/JHEP02(2018)124 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT liammcallister runawayrelaxionmonodromy AT pedroschwaller runawayrelaxionmonodromy AT geraldineservant runawayrelaxionmonodromy AT johnstout runawayrelaxionmonodromy AT alexanderwestphal runawayrelaxionmonodromy |