DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A viable QCD axion in the MeV mass range

Journal Article · · Journal of High Energy Physics (Online)
ORCiD logo [1];  [2]
  1. New York Univ. (NYU), NY (United States). Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics. Dept. of Physics; Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Dept. of Physics; Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. New York Univ. (NYU), NY (United States). Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics. Dept. of Physics

The QCD axion is one of the most compelling solutions of the strong CP problem. There are major current efforts into searching for an ultralight, invisible axion, which is believed to be the only phenomenologically viable realization of the QCD axion. Visible axions with decay constants at or below the electroweak scale are believed to have been long excluded by laboratory searches. Considering the significance of the axion solution to the strong CP problem, we revisit experimental constraints on QCD axions in the O(10 MeV) mass window. In particular, we find a variant axion model that remains compatible with existing constraints. This model predicts new states at the GeV scale coupled hadronically, and a variety of low-energy axion signatures, such as rare meson decays, nuclear de-excitations via axion emission, and production in e+e- annihilation and fixed target experiments. This reopens the possibility of solving the strong CP problem at the GeV scale.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); New York Univ. (NYU), NY (United States); Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; LANL Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; National Science Foundation (NSF) (United States)
Grant/Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001
OSTI ID:
1485404
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--17-29295
Journal Information:
Journal of High Energy Physics (Online), Journal Name: Journal of High Energy Physics (Online) Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 2018; ISSN 1029-8479
Publisher:
Springer BerlinCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (208)

Introduction book
Axion Cosmology book January 2008
Astrophysical Axion Bounds book January 2008
Search for rare radiative decays of?-meson at VEPP-2M journal March 1987
Radiative corrections to pseudoscalar meson decays journal June 1983
The QCD axion, precisely journal January 2016
Lepton jets in (supersymmetric) electroweak processes journal April 2010
LHC signatures of a minimal supersymmetric hidden valley journal May 2012
Light weakly coupled axial forces: models, constraints, and projections journal May 2017
Revisiting scalar and pseudoscalar couplings with nucleons journal July 2012
A new probe of dark sector dynamics at the LHC journal September 2015
Two-loop QED radiative corrections to the decay π 0 → e + e −: the virtual corrections and soft-photon bremsstrahlung journal October 2011
Testing new physics with the electron g − 2 journal November 2012
K + → π + ν ν ¯ $$ {K}^{+}\to {\pi}^{+}\nu \overline{\nu} $$ and K L → π 0 ν ν ¯ $$ {K}_L\to {\pi}^0\nu \overline{\nu} $$ in the Standard Model: status and perspectives journal November 2015
Possible explanation of the electron positron anomaly at 17 MeV in 8 Be transitions through a light pseudoscalar journal November 2016
Collider probes of axion-like particles journal December 2017
Revised constraints and Belle II sensitivity for visible and invisible axion-like particles journal December 2017
The spin structure of the nucleon journal January 2005
Chiral perturbation theory to one loop journal November 1984
The spin structure of the nucleon journal January 1994
Limits on axions from nuclear decays journal April 1987
Search for short-lived axions journal November 1989
Electromagnetic decays of light mesons journal November 1985
Light pseudoscalars, particle physics and cosmology journal June 1987
The strong CP problem revisited journal January 1988
Astrophysical methods to constrain axions and other novel particle phenomena journal December 1990
Windows on the axion journal December 1990
Evidence against the existence of a low mass scalar boson from neutron-nucleus scattering journal July 1975
Current algebra applied to properties of the light Higgs boson journal April 1978
Axion emission in decay of excited nuclear states journal April 1978
A simple solution to the strong CP problem with a harmless axion journal August 1981
A new experimental limit for the decay K+ → π+γγ journal June 1982
Lower bound for branching ratio ofK+ → π+ axion and non-existence of Peccei-Quinn axion journal February 1982
Cosmology of the invisible axion journal January 1983
A cosmological bound on the invisible axion journal January 1983
The not-so-harmless axion journal January 1983
Search for short-lived axions in a nuclear isoscalar transition journal November 1986
Constraints on short-lived axions from the decay π+→e+e−e+ν journal August 1986
Search for axion-like particles in electron bremsstrahlung journal November 1986
Limits for short-lived neutral particles emitted in μ+ or π+ decay journal July 1986
QCD radiative corrections to upsilon decay into scalar plus gamma and pseudoscalar plus gamma journal July 1986
Constraints on couplings of a fast decaying axion journal August 1986
A viable weak interaction axion? journal March 1988
An unambiguous search for a light Higgs boson journal October 1989
A search for correlated e+e− pairs in the decay of 241Am journal March 1990
K→2π and K→3π decays in next-to-leading order chiral perturbation theory journal June 1991
Can confinement ensure natural CP invariance of strong interactions? journal April 1980
Chiral perturbation theory: Expansions in the mass of the strange quark journal January 1985
Constraints on variant axion models journal January 1987
The g1 problem: Deep inelastic electron scattering and the spin of the proton journal June 1990
Cryogenic cavity detector for a large-scale cold dark-matter axion search
  • Peng, H.; Asztalos, S.; Daw, E.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 444, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9002(99)00971-7
journal April 2000
On the sensitivity of the polarized parton densities to flavour SU(3) symmetry breaking journal September 2000
Trace anomalies and the ΔI=1/2 rule journal March 2001
A deviation in internal pair conversion journal November 1996
Light gluino mass and condensate from properties of η and η′ journal March 1997
Glueball-qq filter in central hadron production journal April 1997
Nucleon spin with and without hyperon data: a new tool for analysis journal August 1999
K→3π decays in chiral perturbation theory journal January 2003
The cern axion solar telescope (CAST) journal July 2002
On the in chiral perturbation theory journal May 1998
The Heavy Photon Search test detector
  • Battaglieri, M.; Boyarinov, S.; Bueltmann, S.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 777 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.12.017
journal March 2015
Realistic model for a fifth force explaining anomaly in B e ⁎ 8 → B e 8 e + e − decay journal June 2017
Radiative and other rare ρ, ω, ϕ-decays from VEPP-2M journal September 2008
New precision measurement of hyperfine splitting of positronium journal June 2014
The sign of the dipole–dipole potential by axion exchange journal September 2017
Can nuclear physics explain the anomaly observed in the internal pair production in the Beryllium-8 nucleus? journal October 2017
Glueballs, hybrids, multiquarks journal December 2007
Axion cosmology journal July 2016
The spin structure of the nucleon journal July 1999
New experimental results for the 17 MeV particle created in 8 Be journal January 2017
On the creation of the 17 MeV X boson in the 17.6 MeV M1 transition of 8 Be journal January 2017
The spin Structure of the Nucleon journal November 1990
Searching for a U-boson with a positron beam
  • Wojtsekhowski, B.; Elouadrhiri, Latifa; Grames, Jospeh
  • INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON POSITRONS AT JEFFERSON LAB, AIP Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3232023
conference January 2009
Recent results from the Mainz Microtron MAMI and an outlook for the future conference January 2016
A facility to search for hidden particles at the CERN SPS: the SHiP physics case journal October 2016
New particles in strong fields? journal April 1989
Search for a short-lived isoscalar axion with mass between 4 and 15 MeV c -2 journal January 1990
Comment on a search for a short-lived isoscalar axion with mass between 4 and 15 MeV/ journal June 1997
The case of the pseudoscalar glueball journal August 2006
The muon magnetic moment and supersymmetry journal December 2006
Decays of J /ψ and ψ′ into vector and pseudoscalar mesons and the pseudoscalar glueball–q\bar{q} mixing journal March 2008
Phenomenology of hidden valleys at hadron colliders journal July 2008
LHC signals for a SuperUnified theory of Dark Matter journal December 2008
Non-abelian dark sectors and their collider signatures journal April 2009
Breaking the dark force journal June 2009
Towards a new generation axion helioscope journal June 2011
Review of Particle Physics journal August 2014
Review of Particle Physics journal October 2016
Any light particle search II — Technical Design Report journal September 2013
Cavity control of a single-electron quantum cyclotron: Measuring the electron magnetic moment journal May 2011
Nuclear axion decay journal November 1981
Search for short lived neutral particle in the 15.1 MeV isovector transition of C 12 journal January 1988
Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of electromagnetic transitions in Be 8 with meson-exchange currents derived from chiral effective field theory journal August 2014
New experimental upper limit for the decay K ± → γ γ journal January 1977
Do axions exist? journal September 1978
Search for axion emission in the decay of excited states of C 12 journal December 1979
Detection rates for ‘‘invisible’’-axion searches journal December 1985
Axion bremsstrahlung by an electron beam journal September 1986
New limits on light scalar and pseudoscalar particles produced in nuclear decay journal March 1988
Search for neutral metastable penetrating particles produced in the SLAC beam dump journal December 1988
Improved limit on axion production in 800-GeV hadronic showers journal May 1990
Width of the J ψ resonance journal April 1992
Bound on m η m η ′ for large N C journal February 1994
Higher quarkonia journal April 1997
SU(3) breaking in neutral current axial matrix elements and the spin content of the nucleon journal May 1997
Determining the gluonic content of isoscalar mesons journal May 1997
U ( 3 ) chiral perturbation theory with infrared regularization journal March 2001
Glueballs, closed fluxtubes, and η ( 1440 ) journal December 2004
Rare decay π 0 → e + e − : Theory confronts KTeV data journal June 2007
Neutron scattering and extra-short-range interactions journal February 2008
Bounds on new light particles from high-energy and very small momentum transfer n p elastic scattering data journal December 2008
Enhanced rare pion decays from a model of MeV dark matter journal December 2008
Pseudoscalar glueball mass from η - η ′ - G mixing journal January 2009
Strong decays of radially excited mesons in a chiral approach journal January 2009
Probing a secluded U(1) at B factories journal June 2009
Improved Weizsäcker-Williams Method and Its Application to Lepton and W -Boson Pair Production journal November 1973
η ( 1405 ) in a chiral approach based on mixing of the pseudoscalar glueball with the first radial excitations of η and η ′ journal July 2009
Probing dark forces and light hidden sectors at low-energy e + e − colliders journal July 2009
Detailed design of a resonantly enhanced axion-photon regeneration experiment journal October 2009
New fixed-target experiments to search for dark gauge forces journal October 2009
Exploring portals to a hidden sector through fixed targets journal November 2009
Chiral field theory of 0 − + glueball journal June 2010
Multiphotons and photon jets from new heavy vector bosons journal September 2012
Isospin breaking and f 0 ( 980 ) - a 0 ( 980 ) mixing in the η ( 1405 ) → π 0 f 0 ( 980 ) reaction journal December 2012
Strange quark contributions to nucleon mass and spin from lattice QCD journal December 2012
Phenomenology of photon-jets journal January 2013
Understanding the property of η ( 1405 / 1475 ) in the J / ψ radiative decay journal January 2013
Coupling-mass mapping of dijet peak searches journal August 2013
Disconnected quark loop contributions to nucleon observables in lattice QCD journal February 2014
Exotic decays of the 125 GeV Higgs boson journal October 2014
Tenth-order electron anomalous magnetic moment: Contribution of diagrams without closed lepton loops journal February 2015
Δ I = 1 / 2 rule for kaon decays derived from QCD infrared fixed point journal February 2015
New bounds for axions and axion-like particles with keV-GeV masses journal July 2015
Nucleon and pion structure with lattice QCD simulations at physical value of the pion mass journal December 2015
Contributions of axionlike particles to lepton dipole moments journal December 2016
Faking ordinary photons by displaced dark photon decays journal January 2017
Particle physics models for the 17 MeV anomaly in beryllium nuclear decays journal February 2017
Up, down, and strange nucleon axial form factors from lattice QCD journal June 2017
Light axial vector bosons, nuclear transitions, and the Be 8 anomaly journal June 2017
Dark forces coupled to nonconserved currents journal October 2017
Explanation of the 17 MeV Atomki anomaly in a U ( 1 ) ′ -extended two Higgs doublet model journal December 2017
New Measurement of the Electron Magnetic Moment and the Fine Structure Constant journal March 2008
Measuring a Long-Range Dark Matter Force at the Large Hadron Collider journal July 2009
SQUID-Based Microwave Cavity Search for Dark-Matter Axions journal January 2010
Discovering Higgs Boson Decays to Lepton Jets at Hadron Colliders journal December 2010
Puzzle of Anomalously Large Isospin Violations in η ( 1405 / 1475 ) → 3 π journal February 2012
Strangeness Contribution to the Proton Spin from Lattice QCD journal May 2012
Jets and Photons journal March 2013
Observation of Anomalous Internal Pair Creation in Be 8 : A Possible Indication of a Light, Neutral Boson journal January 2016
Protophobic Fifth-Force Interpretation of the Observed Anomaly in Be 8 Nuclear Transitions journal August 2016
Broadband and Resonant Approaches to Axion Dark Matter Detection journal September 2016
Dielectric Haloscopes: A New Way to Detect Axion Dark Matter journal March 2017
LHC as an Axion Factory: Probing an Axion Explanation for ( g − 2 ) μ with Exotic Higgs Decays journal July 2017
New Constraints on Light Vectors Coupled to Anomalous Currents journal October 2017
CP Conservation in the Presence of Pseudoparticles journal June 1977
Decays of Heavy Vector Mesons into Higgs Particles journal November 1977
A New Light Boson? journal January 1978
Problem of Strong P and T Invariance in the Presence of Instantons journal January 1978
Search for Axion Production in Low-Energy Electron Bremsstrahlung journal June 1979
Weak-Interaction Singlet and Strong CP Invariance journal July 1979
Search for a Neutral Boson in a Two-Body Decay of K + → π + X 0 journal March 1984
Search for Light Short-Lived Particles in Radiative Upsilon Decays journal June 1986
Search for a Short-Lived Neutral Particle Produced in Nuclear Decay journal July 1986
New Limit on Axion Production in 800-GeV Hadronic Showers journal October 1986
Restrictions on a 1.7-MeV Axion from Nuclear Pair Transitions journal October 1986
Search for Neutral Particles in Electron-Beam-Dump Experiment journal August 1986
Search for Short-Lived Neutral Particles Emitted in K + Decay journal December 1987
Search for short-lived axions in an electron-beam-dump experiment journal August 1987
Emission and detectability of hadronic axions from SN 1987A journal August 1990
Search for short-lived particles produced in an electron beam dump journal November 1991
Experimental Study of the Radiative Decays K + → μ + ν e + e − and K + → e + ν e + e − journal July 2002
Proposal for a Cosmic Axion Spin Precession Experiment (CASPEr) journal May 2014
Pair production and bremsstrahlung of charged leptons journal October 1974
Axions and the strong C P problem journal March 2010
Kaon decays in the standard model journal March 2012
QED radiative corrections to the decay π0→e+e- journal April 2008
Large $$N$$ N approach to Kaon decays and mixing 28 years later: $$\Delta I=1/2$$ Δ I = 1 / 2 rule, $$\hat{B}_K$$ B ^ K , and $$\Delta M_K$$ Δ M K journal May 2014
Rare decay $$\pi ^0\rightarrow e^+e^-$$ π 0 → e + e - : on corrections beyond the leading order journal August 2014
Photons, photon jets, and dark photons at 750 GeV and beyond journal May 2016
The light $${\varvec{U}}$$ U boson as the mediator of a new force, coupled to a combination of $${\varvec{Q,\ B,\ L}}$$ Q , B , L and dark matter journal January 2017
The quarkonia-glueball structure of $\eta$ , $\eta^{'}$ and $\eta(1410)$ revisited journal June 2003
Investigation of $K_\mathrm{L,S} \rightarrow \pi^+ \pi^{-} e^+ e^{-}$ decays journal September 2003
The Spin Structure of the Nucleon conference November 2011
The spin Structure of the Nucleon journal July 2000
Hadron Spectroscopy and Strong qcd journal February 2006
Search for K+ → π+νν̄ and Future Searches for Exotic Processes at NA62 journal January 2018
Experimental Searches for the Axion and Axion-Like Particles journal October 2015
Proposal to Search for a Dark Photon in Positron on Target Collisions at DA Φ NE Linac journal January 2014
Revised constraints and Belle II sensitivity for visible and invisible axion-like particles text January 2017
Any light particle search II — Technical Design Report text January 2013
Review of Particle Physics text January 2012
A facility to search for hidden particles at the CERN SPS: the SHiP physics case text January 2016
Revised constraints and Belle II sensitivity for visible and invisible axion-like particles text January 2017
Axion Cosmology text January 2018
Review of Particle Physics text January 2018
Phenomenology of Hidden Valleys at Hadron Colliders text January 2007
Non-Abelian Dark Sectors and Their Collider Signatures text January 2009
Chiral field theory of $0^{-+}$ glueball text January 2009
Towards a new generation axion helioscope text January 2011
LHC Signatures of a Minimal Supersymmetric Hidden Valley text January 2011
Revisiting Scalar and Pseudoscalar Couplings with Nucleons text January 2012
Any Light Particle Search II -- Technical Design Report text January 2013
The Heavy Photon Search Test Detector text January 2014
A New Probe of Dark Sector Dynamics at the LHC text January 2015
A facility to Search for Hidden Particles at the CERN SPS: the SHiP physics case text January 2015
Axion Cosmology text January 2015
Experimental Searches for the Axion and Axion-like Particles text January 2016
Review of Particle Physics text January 2008

Cited By (12)

A light complex scalar for the electron and muon anomalous magnetic moments journal March 2019
Light in the beam dump. Axion-Like Particle production from decay photons in proton beam-dumps journal May 2019
Flavour Violating Axions journal January 2020
Higgs bosons with large couplings to light quarks journal December 2019
Axionlike particles at FASER: The LHC as a photon beam dump journal September 2018
Dark matter, millicharges, axion and scalar particles, gauge bosons, and other new physics with LDMX journal April 2019
Coupling QCD-Scale Axionlike Particles to Gluons journal July 2019
Axion couplings to electroweak gauge bosons journal March 2019
Flavour Violating Axions text January 2019
A light complex scalar for the electron and muon anomalous magnetic moments text January 2018
Coupling QCD-scale axion-like particles to gluons text January 2018
Flavour Violating Axions text January 2019

Similar Records

Searches for heavy QCD axions via dimuon final states
Journal Article · 2023 · Journal of High Energy Physics (Online) · OSTI ID:2229878

Axiogenesis with a heavy QCD axion
Journal Article · 2022 · Journal of High Energy Physics (Online) · OSTI ID:1905514

A heavy QCD axion and the mirror world
Journal Article · 2024 · Journal of High Energy Physics (Online) · OSTI ID:2429238