Abstract
Axion-like particles are predicted in many physics scenarios beyond the Standard Model (SM). Their interactions with SM particles may arise from the triangle anomaly of the associated global symmetry, along with other SM global and gauge symmetries, including anomalies with the global baryon number and electromagnetic gauge symmetries. We initiate the phenomenological study of the corresponding “electrobaryonic axion”—a particle that couples with both the baryon chemical potential and the electromagnetic field. Neutron stars, particularly magnetars, possessing high baryon density and strong magnetic fields, can naturally develop a thin axion hair around their surface. In this study, we calculate this phenomenon, considering the effects of neutron star rotation and general relativity. For axion particles lighter than the neutron star rotation frequency, the anomalous interaction can also induce the emission of axion particles from the neutron star. In the light axion regime, this emission can significantly contribute to the neutron star cooling rate.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Christopher T. Hill and Mrunal Korwar for the useful discussions. The work of YB is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under the contract DE-SC-0017647. The work of CHL is supported in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), TRIUMF, and the 2023 IPP Early Career Theory Fellowship. TRIUMF receives federal funding via a contribution agreement with the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada.
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Bai, Y., de Lima, C.H. Electrobaryonic axion: hair of neutron stars. J. High Energ. Phys. 2024, 312 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP05(2024)312
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP05(2024)312