On the IR/UV flavour connection in non-universal axion models

Abstract

Non-universal axion models, with the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry acting on Standard Model (SM) fermions in a generation-dependent way, are typically accompanied by two different sources of flavour violation, dubbed here as infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV). The former is due to the flavour violating axion couplings to SM fermions, while the latter arises from the heavy degrees of freedom that UV complete the axion effective field theory. We point out that these two sources of flavour violation are directly related and exemplify this connection in a general class of non-universal axion model, based on a renormalizable DFSZ-like setup with two Higgs doublets (PQ-2HDM). We next discuss the interplay of axion flavour phenomenology with the signatures stemming from the heavy radial modes of the PQ-2HDM, including meson oscillation observables and charged lepton flavour violating decays. We emphasize the strong complementarity between flavour observables, LHC direct searches and standard axion physics.