Non-equilibrium Quantum Field Theory and Axion Electrodynamics in curved spacetimes

TL;DR

This thesis explores axion physics in curved spacetimes, focusing on their cosmological production, topological defects, and modified electrodynamics, using advanced quantum field theory methods to provide new insights and constraints.

Contribution

It presents original research on axion cosmology and electrodynamics, integrating non-equilibrium quantum field theory with curved spacetime analysis, and offers novel results on axion interactions and dynamics.

Findings

Analysis of axion production in early Universe scenarios

Modified Maxwell's equations due to axion backgrounds

Preliminary constraints on axion models from cosmological data

Abstract

Axions are hypothetical pseudoscalar particles introduced initially as a solution to the Strong CP problem in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), and they also arise naturally in a broad class of low-energy compactifications of string theory. Astrophysical, cosmological, and laboratory constraints require axions to be extremely weakly coupled to Standard Model particles, making them viable dark matter candidates .This PhD thesis presents original results developed over three years of research, focusing on axion cosmology and axion electrodynamics. These topics address the production of axions and their associated topological defects in the early Universe, as well as the interactions of axions with Standard Model particles. The analysis combines methods from non-equilibrium quantum field theory and quantum field theory in curved spacetimes. After reviewing the foundations of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes and cosmology, the thesis introduces the Strong CP problem and the Peccei-Quinn mechanism, including the PQWW axion model and its invisible extensions. Ultraviolet completions of QCD axion theories are discussed in both field-theoretic and extra-dimensional frameworks. A significant part of the thesis is devoted to axion electrodynamics, where a classical axion background modifies Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic observables. The non-equilibrium dynamics of self-interacting axion fields coupled to the Standard Model or to a dark sector are also studied using the two-particle-irreducible effective action, and applied to pre- and post-inflationary cosmological scenarios, yielding new insights and preliminary constraints.