The QCD Axion Window and Low Scale Inflation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that low-scale inflation can relax the upper bound of the QCD axion window, allowing higher decay constants without overproduction, by analyzing the axion misalignment distribution during inflation.

Contribution

It introduces models of low-scale inflation where the axion misalignment angle distribution is peaked at the CP-conserving minimum, relaxing the axion overproduction constraint.

Findings

The axion overproduction problem is relaxed for decay constants > 10^{12} GeV.

Low-scale inflation models with Hubble parameter below QCD scale are viable.

Reheating can occur via perturbative decays or dissipation processes.

Abstract

We show that the upper bound of the classical QCD axion window can be significantly relaxed for low-scale inflation. If the Gibbons-Hawking temperature during inflation is lower than the QCD scale, the initial QCD axion misalignment angle follows the Bunch-Davies distribution. The distribution is peaked at the strong CP conserving minimum if there is no other light degree of freedom contributing to the strong CP phase. As a result, the axion overproduction problem is significantly relaxed even for an axion decay constant larger than $10^{12}$GeV. We also provide concrete hilltop inflation models where the Hubble parameter during inflation is comparable to or much smaller than the QCD scale, with successful reheating taking place via perturbative decays or dissipation processes.