Simultaneous solutions of the strong CP and μ problems

Abstract

The μ parameter of the supersymmetric standard model is replaced by λS, where S is a singlet chiral superfield, introducing a Peccei–Quinn symmetry into the theory. Dynamics at the electroweak scale naturally solves both the strong CP and μ problems as long as λ is of order MZ/Mpl or smaller, and yet this theory has the same number of relevant parameters as the supersymmetric standard model. The theory will be tested at colliders: the μ parameter is predicted and there are long-lived superpartners that decay to gravitinos or axinos at separated vertices. To avoid too much saxion cold dark matter, a large amount of entropy must be produced after the electroweak phase transition. If this is accomplished by decays of a massive particle, the reheat temperature should be no more than a GeV, strongly constraining baryogenesis. Cold dark matter may be composed of both axions, probed by direct detection, and saxions, probed by a soft X-ray background arising from decays to γγ. There are two known possibilities for avoiding problematic axion domain walls: the introduction of new colored fermions or the assumption that the Peccei–Quinn symmetry was already broken during inflation. In the first case, in our theory the colored particles are expected to be at the weak scale, while in the second case it implies a good chance of discovering isocurvature perturbations in the CMB radiation and a relatively low Hubble parameter during inflation.