String Axiverse

String Axiverse

23 Oct 2009 | Asimina Arvanitaki, Savas Dimopoulos, Sergei Dubovsky, Nemanja Kaloper, and John March-Russell
String theory suggests the existence of many ultralight axions, potentially populating each decade of mass down to the Hubble scale (10⁻³³ eV). These axions, known as the "axiverse," are a natural consequence of the topological complexity of extra-dimensional manifolds and are not ad hoc in a four-dimensional theory. The paper explores how upcoming astrophysical experiments will observe these axions across a wide mass range from 10⁻³³ eV to 10⁻¹⁰ eV. Axions with masses between 10⁻³³ eV and 10⁻²⁸ eV cause a constant rotation in the CMB polarization, independent of inflation and the axion decay constant, and are detectable by the Planck satellite. Axions in the range 10⁻²⁸ eV to 10⁻¹⁸ eV produce multiple steps in the matter power spectrum, detectable by galaxy surveys like BOSS and 21 cm line tomography. Axions in the range 10⁻²² eV to 10⁻¹⁰ eV affect the dynamics and gravitational wave emission of rapidly rotating black holes via the Penrose superradiance process. When the axion Compton wavelength is comparable to the black hole size, they form "superradiant" atomic bound states, leading to a rotating Bose-Einstein axion condensate emitting gravitational waves. For black holes lighter than ~10⁷ solar masses, accretion cannot replenish the spin, creating mass gaps in the spectrum that diagnose the presence of destabilizing axions. The highly rotating black hole in the X-ray binary LMC X-1 implies an upper limit on the decay constant of the QCD axion, fₐ < 2 × 10¹⁷ GeV, much below the Planck mass. This can be improved to fₐ < 2 × 10¹⁶ GeV by observing smaller stellar mass black holes. The Principle of Plenitude suggests that the universe contains all possibilities, with our finite experience of eternity giving no reason to dispute nature’s perfection. The paper discusses the QCD axion, string theory axions, and Wilsonian scanning of the cosmological constant. It highlights the potential observational signatures of axions in various astrophysical contexts, including CMB polarization rotation, matter power spectrum steps, and gravitational wave emissions from black holes. The paper concludes that the existence of the QCD axion and its implications for string theory suggest a predictive scenario with distinct observational signatures.String theory suggests the existence of many ultralight axions, potentially populating each decade of mass down to the Hubble scale (10⁻³³ eV). These axions, known as the "axiverse," are a natural consequence of the topological complexity of extra-dimensional manifolds and are not ad hoc in a four-dimensional theory. The paper explores how upcoming astrophysical experiments will observe these axions across a wide mass range from 10⁻³³ eV to 10⁻¹⁰ eV. Axions with masses between 10⁻³³ eV and 10⁻²⁸ eV cause a constant rotation in the CMB polarization, independent of inflation and the axion decay constant, and are detectable by the Planck satellite. Axions in the range 10⁻²⁸ eV to 10⁻¹⁸ eV produce multiple steps in the matter power spectrum, detectable by galaxy surveys like BOSS and 21 cm line tomography. Axions in the range 10⁻²² eV to 10⁻¹⁰ eV affect the dynamics and gravitational wave emission of rapidly rotating black holes via the Penrose superradiance process. When the axion Compton wavelength is comparable to the black hole size, they form "superradiant" atomic bound states, leading to a rotating Bose-Einstein axion condensate emitting gravitational waves. For black holes lighter than ~10⁷ solar masses, accretion cannot replenish the spin, creating mass gaps in the spectrum that diagnose the presence of destabilizing axions. The highly rotating black hole in the X-ray binary LMC X-1 implies an upper limit on the decay constant of the QCD axion, fₐ < 2 × 10¹⁷ GeV, much below the Planck mass. This can be improved to fₐ < 2 × 10¹⁶ GeV by observing smaller stellar mass black holes. The Principle of Plenitude suggests that the universe contains all possibilities, with our finite experience of eternity giving no reason to dispute nature’s perfection. The paper discusses the QCD axion, string theory axions, and Wilsonian scanning of the cosmological constant. It highlights the potential observational signatures of axions in various astrophysical contexts, including CMB polarization rotation, matter power spectrum steps, and gravitational wave emissions from black holes. The paper concludes that the existence of the QCD axion and its implications for string theory suggest a predictive scenario with distinct observational signatures.
Reach us at info@study.space