Axion Dynamics Puts a New Spin on the Hubble Tension

Speaker: 
Raymond Co
Institution: 
Indiana University
Date: 
Thursday, May 30, 2024
Time: 
11:00 am
Location: 
ISEB 1200

Abstract: A rotation in the axion field space was shown capable of addressing cosmological mysteries, including the baryon asymmetry, dark matter, and cosmic perturbations. This dynamics may naturally arise as a result of quantum gravity effects and cosmic inflation. An example of such baryogenesis is called lepto-axiogenesis, where the axion rotation generates the lepton asymmetry via right-handed neutrinos, which is subsequently reprocessed into baryon number by electroweak sphaleron processes. This talk will focus on a new avenue where axion rotations can ameliorate the Hubble tension without exacerbating the S_8 tension while also explaining the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe via lepto-axiogenesis. This model predicts heavy neutral leptons that may be within reach of future lepton colliders, the high-luminosity LHC, and SHiP.

Host: 
Yuri Shirman