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Invisible axions and the QCD phase transition in the early Universe

Thomas DeGrand

Thomas W. Kephart

Thomas J. Weiler

  • Physics Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309

  • Physics Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235

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Phys. Rev. D 33, 910 – Published 15 February, 1986

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.33.910

Abstract

We examine, in detail, the conditions under which the quark-hadron phase transition in the early Universe can influence the previously determined upper bound on the axion decay constant fa≲5×1012 GeV. By integrating the axion equation of motion (in general and in a specific model) through the phase transition we find that if the phase transition is sufficiently abrupt the limit on fa may change by an order of magnitude in either direction (depending on initial conditions); the most probable result is a tightening of the bound by a factor ∼5. Sensitive axion detectors, as are now being contemplated, could conceivably provide information on the Universe at ∼10−5 sec after the big bang.

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Phys. Rev. D 33, 910– Published 15 February, 1986
  • Received 23 September 1985

© 1986 American Physical Society

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