Professor Joseph Conlon

Abstract:

We investigate whether Swampland constraints on the low-energy dynamics of weakly coupled, moduli- stabilised string vacua in AdS can be related to inconsistencies of their putative holographic duals or, more generally, recast in terms of CFT data. We find that various swampland consistency constraints are equivalent to a negativity condition on the sign of certain mixed anomalous dimensions. This condition is similar to well-established CFT positivity bounds arising from causality and unitarity, but not known to hold in general. The studied scenarios include LVS, KKLT, and both perturbative and racetrack stabilisation. Interestingly, the LVS vacuum (with Δφ=8.038) also appears to live very close to a critical value (Δφ=8) where the anomalous dimensions change sign. We finally point out an intriguing connection to the Swampland Distance Conjecture, both in its original and refined versions.

Abstract:

We review the physics potential of a next generation search for solar axions: the International Axion Observatory (IAXO). Endowed with a sensitivity to discover axion-like particles (ALPs) with a coupling to photons as small as gaγ ∼ 10−12 GeV−1 , or to electrons gae ∼10−13, IAXO has the potential to find the QCD axion in the 1 meV∼1 eV mass range where it solves the strong CP problem, can account for the cold dark matter of the Universe and be responsible for the anomalous cooling observed in a number of stellar systems. At the same time, IAXO will have enough sensitivity to detect lower mass axions invoked to explain: 1) the origin of the anomalous “transparency” of the Universe to gamma-rays, 2) the observed soft X-ray excess from galaxy clusters or 3) some inflationary models. In addition, we review string theory axions with parameters accessible by IAXO and discuss their potential role in cosmology as Dark Matter and Dark Radiation as well as their connections to the above mentioned conundrums.