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Exploring the String Axiverse with Precision Black Hole Physics

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23 Pith papers citing it
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abstract

It has recently been suggested that the presence of a plenitude of light axions, an Axiverse, is evidence for the extra dimensions of string theory. We discuss the observational consequences of these axions on astrophysical black holes through the Penrose superradiance process. When an axion Compton wavelength is comparable to the size of a black hole, the axion binds to the black hole "nucleus" forming a gravitational atom in the sky. The occupation number of superradiant atomic levels, fed by the energy and angular momentum of the black hole, grows exponentially. The black hole spins down and an axion Bose-Einstein condensate cloud forms around it. When the attractive axion self-interactions become stronger than the gravitational binding energy, the axion cloud collapses, a phenomenon known in condensed matter physics as "Bosenova". The existence of axions is first diagnosed by gaps in the mass vs spin plot of astrophysical black holes. For young black holes the allowed values of spin are quantized, giving rise to "Regge trajectories" inside the gap region. The axion cloud can also be observed directly either through precision mapping of the near horizon geometry or through gravitational waves coming from the Bosenova explosion, as well as axion transitions and annihilations in the gravitational atom. Our estimates suggest that these signals are detectable in upcoming experiments, such as Advanced LIGO, AGIS, and LISA. Current black hole spin measurements imply an upper bound on the QCD axion decay constant of 2 x 10^17 GeV, while Advanced LIGO can detect signals from a QCD axion cloud with a decay constant as low as the GUT scale. We finally discuss the possibility of observing the gamma-rays associated with the Bosenova explosion and, perhaps, the radio waves from axion-to-photon conversion for the QCD axion.

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representative citing papers

String Axiverse Enhancement of Superradiant Dark Matter Production

hep-ph · 2026-06-18 · conditional · novelty 6.0

O(100–10^5) light string axions enhance PBH spin-up during Hawking evaporation, boosting superradiant dark-matter cloud efficiency and expanding the micro-boson-star parameter space while contributing negligibly to ΔN_eff.

Self-gravitating quantum stars with a globally relevant Bohm potential

hep-th · 2026-05-31 · conditional · novelty 6.0

The equilibrium radius of self-gravitating dark fermion stars is determined by the fermion mass once the total mass is given, with the Bohm potential supplying outward pressure for heavier species and inward tension for lighter ones.

Stellar Superradiance and Low-Energy Absorption in Dense Nuclear Media

hep-ph · 2025-12-15 · unverdicted · novelty 6.0

Collective nucleon scattering in neutron-star matter suppresses the effective absorption of ultralight bosons at the long wavelengths relevant for superradiance, weakening the link between stellar cooling bounds and superradiant instability rates.

Constraining F-theory Model Building with QCD Axions

hep-th · 2026-05-05 · unverdicted · novelty 5.0 · 2 refs

QCD axions constrain F-theory base threefolds to have rigid or flux-rigidified divisors, yielding typical axion masses around 10^{-9} eV and decay constants near 10^{15} GeV in allowed regions.

Gravitational Atoms from Topological Stars

gr-qc · 2025-11-13 · unverdicted · novelty 5.0

Bound states of a massive scalar field around topological stars form strictly normal modes, producing a hydrogen-like spectrum when the Compton wavelength exceeds the star size and localized states otherwise.

High-frequency gravitational wave transients from superradiance

gr-qc · 2026-04-01 · unverdicted · novelty 5.0

Ultralight boson clouds around primordial black holes emit high-frequency gravitational wave transients via superradiance and binary-driven transitions, but the signals fall below current detector sensitivity at plausible distances.

Majoron Dark Matter, High-Scale Seesaw, and Leptogenesis

hep-ph · 2026-06-01 · unverdicted · novelty 4.0

Majoron dark matter is viable for sub-MeV masses in high-scale seesaw models with thermal leptogenesis, produced via misalignment and cosmic strings in pre- and post-inflationary scenarios and constrained by CMB, X-ray, and gravitational wave observations.

Superradiance -- the 2020 Edition

gr-qc · 2015-01-26 · unverdicted · novelty 4.0

Black-hole superradiance extracts energy via the ergoregion and can trigger instabilities with applications to dark matter, beyond-Standard-Model physics, and laboratory analogs.

Science Case for the Einstein Telescope

astro-ph.CO · 2019-12-05 · unverdicted · novelty 3.0

The Einstein Telescope will enable gravitational-wave observations up to cosmological distances, opening avenues for discoveries in astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics.

Axions as Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and Dark Radiation

hep-ph · 2025-09-21 · unverdicted · novelty 2.0

A mini-review of axion phenomenology showing how light bosons can account for dark matter, drive cosmic acceleration, or contribute to relativistic backgrounds in the early and late Universe.

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