Revisiting the $U(1)$-$CP$ tension in QCD from a 1PI-action perspective

Abstract

We discuss the tension one encounters in trying to solve, simultaneously, the $U(1)$ and strong-$CP$ problems in QCD with light quarks and a small $\barθ$ angle within QCD itself. We do so by considering the low-energy expansion of a $1$PI effective action $Γ$, a functional of a properly chosen set of gauge-invariant (composite) operators. After enforcing Ward-identity constraints on $Γ$, we prove, under minor assumptions, that $CP$ violation at small non-vanishing $\barθ$ can be avoided only if the anomaly-induced contribution to the pseudoscalar mass matrix is completely negligible when compared to its non-anomalous counterpart - that is, only if the $U(1)$ problem is not solved. The topological susceptibility in QCD and a precise generalization of the one in pure Yang-Mills theory emerge as the most important players in establishing the above tension and in determining the corrections to various known results at leading order in $\barθ$.