Solving the Strong CP Problem with High-Colour Quarks and Composite Axion

Abstract

I propose a new axionic solution to the strong CP problem which involves a hypothetical vector-like quark(s) in a high-colour representation of the conventional QCD. There are two distinct scenarios. If the current mass of the exotic quark is zero, the strong CP phase can be trivially rotated away. The high-colour quark is `hidden' in various bounds states, the lightest being the composite axion field, with properties similar to the standard invisible axion. If the high-colour quark acquire a non-zero current mass due to the spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, the composite axion can be heavy, while the strong CP phase is still cancelling out in the vacuum. The phenomenology and cosmological implications of the heavy composite axion differs drastically from the standard invisible axion.