标题： 轴子，三形式和M理论 显示英文标题

标题： Axions, Three-Forms, and M-Theory

摘要： 具有由全局平移对称性保护质量的标量场，通常称为轴子，在宇宙学和粒子物理的有效场论中被广泛使用。 然而，在基本层面上，全局对称性不能被期望得到保护。 因此，寻找轴子的一致紫外完成是必要的。 在本工作中，我们将轴子与(4+1)维中带电3-膜的位置模式相联系。 轴子的平移对称性则为垂直于膜的第五维中的残余微分同胚。 同时，膜与第五维中的通量耦合。 从(3+1)维的角度来看，这种构造为轴子生成了一个质量，并与文献中基于轴子与三形式规范场耦合的先前已知提案相匹配。 在第二步中，我们将这个(4+1)维模型提升到M理论，在其中发现相同的三形式与具有(2+1)维世界体积的膜耦合。 特别是，我们的提案也阐明了文献中轴子与二形式规范场之间的对偶性。 我们表明，这种对偶的二形式耦合到M理论中开放膜的边界。 最后，我们评论了与其他闭弦和开弦轴子单值模型的关系与差异。 显示英文摘要

摘要： Scalar fields with masses protected by global shift symmetries, commonly referred to as axions, are abundantly used in effective field theories in cosmology and particle physics. However, global symmetries cannot be expected to be protected at the fundamental level. Finding consistent ultra-violet completions for axions is therefore a necessity. In this work, we identify the axion with the position mode of a charged 3-brane in (4+1)-dimensions. The shift symmetry of the axion is then a residual diffeomorphism in the fifth dimension orthogonal to the brane. Meanwhile, the brane is coupled to a flux in the fifth dimension. From the (3+1)-dimensional perspective, this construction generates a mass for the axion and matches previously known proposals in the literature based on the coupling between the axion and a three-form gauge field. In a second step, we uplift this (4+1)-dimensional model to M-theory, where the same three-form is found to couple to the membrane with a (2+1)-dimensional worldvolume. In particular, our proposal also elucidates the duality between the axion and a two-form gauge field in the literature. We show that this dual two-form couples to the boundary of an open membrane in M-theory. Finally, we comment on the relations to and differences from other closed and open string axion monodromy models.