How does temperature affect the mass of the axion particle?

In summary, the mass of the axion particle is inversely proportional to temperature. As temperature increases, the mass of the axion decreases, and vice versa. This phenomenon is due to the axion's role as a pseudoscalar particle, causing it to interact with the thermal bath and acquire a thermal mass. This relationship between temperature and mass has important implications for the search and detection of axion particles, as well as their potential role in solving mysteries of the universe such as dark matter.
  • #1
memento829
1
0
Axion mass is said to depend on temperature. I don't understand this. Can somebody explain how the mass of an elementary particle depend on temperature at all? Temperature is the average kinetic energy of particles. So what does it have anything to do with the mass of an elementary particle?
 
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  • #2
I think that there is considerable confusion over "mass". As far as I understand it, mass only refers to the rest mass of something usually. Trying to add in different types of mass such as relativistic mass is confusing and does nothing to help anything. As far as I am concerned the temp of an object has nothing to do with the mass. (However I am not sure on this, as I said there is much confusion and misunderstanding.)
 
  • #3
Temperature is an average of quantum states. A laser pointer beam has a temperature of over 1000K for a tiny fraction of a second. Energy and mass are the same so higher temperature means higher energy and higher mass equivalence.
 
  • #4
memento, The axion is a Nambu-Goldstone boson whose mass is dynamically determined, and evolves during the inflationary period of the universe. For a good recent review, see

http://arxiv.org/abs/0910.1066
 

1. What is the relationship between axion mass and temperature?

The axion mass and temperature are inversely proportional to each other. This means that as the temperature increases, the axion mass decreases, and vice versa.

2. How does the axion mass change with temperature?

The axion mass is dependent on the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the Peccei-Quinn mechanism, which occurs at a specific temperature known as the QCD phase transition. As the temperature increases above this threshold, the axion mass decreases exponentially.

3. Can the axion mass be measured at different temperatures?

Yes, the axion mass can be measured at different temperatures using various experimental techniques such as astrophysical observations and laboratory experiments. However, accurately measuring the axion mass at high temperatures is challenging due to its small mass and weak interactions.

4. How does the axion mass affect the properties of dark matter?

The axion mass plays a crucial role in determining the properties of dark matter. The lower the axion mass, the more likely it is that axions make up a significant portion of dark matter in the universe. Additionally, the axion mass also affects the behavior and distribution of dark matter in galaxies and clusters of galaxies.

5. Is there a theoretical limit to the axion mass?

According to current theories, the axion mass is expected to be less than 10^-2 eV/c^2. However, some extensions to the standard model of particle physics predict the existence of heavier axions with masses up to several hundred GeV/c^2. These theories are still being studied and have yet to be confirmed by experiments.

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