Froggatt-Nielsen ALP

TL;DR

This paper explores Froggatt-Nielsen models with discrete symmetries predicting axion-like particles, analyzing their parameter space, constructing explicit models, and studying phenomenological implications, including the possibility of a low FN scale.

Contribution

It introduces a class of FN models based on Z_N symmetries, constructs explicit completions, and performs detailed phenomenological analyses of specific models.

Findings

FN scale can be as low as a few TeV

Explicit Z_4 and Z_8 models constructed

Phenomenological effects of ALP and UV fields analyzed

Abstract

The Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism, a prominent framework for explaining the observed flavor hierarchies, generically predicts the existence of an axion-like particle (ALP). This work examines a class of FN models based on $\mathbb{Z}_N$ discrete symmetries. We chart the allowed parameter space from a set of theoretical considerations and construct explicit renormalizable completions with minimal field content necessary to generate consistent textures. We then conduct comprehensive phenomenological analyses of two particularly elegant $\mathbb{Z}_4$ and $\mathbb{Z}_8$ models, highlighting the interplay between the effects of the ALP and the associated UV fields. We find that the FN scale can be as low as a few TeV.