Serendipitous supersymmetric solution to the strong CP problem
Abstract
The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) has several problems: 1. its μ term must be forbidden, then regenerated at the weak scale, 2. it allows for R-parity violating superpotential terms which lead to rapid proton decay, 3. it allows for dimension-5 proton decay operators. The usual imposition of R- or matter parity PM solves only the second of these, whereas anomaly-free discrete ℤnR symmetries (consistent with grand unification) address all of them. Once the μ-term is forbidden by the imposition of a discrete ℤnR symmetry (which can emerge as a discrete remnant of string compactifications to 4-dimensions), the MSSM develops an accidental global U(1)PQ symmetry (thus providing a plausible origin for the global U(1)PQ needed for solving the strong CP problem). By coupling the Higgs fields to PQ-charged gauge singlet fields X, Y (in the Kim-Nilles mechanism), and imposing SUSY breaking, one regenerates μ at the weak scale whilst breaking the discrete ℤnR and the U(1)PQ. The broken global U(1)PQ develops a pseudo-Goldstone boson, the DFSZ axion, thus (perhaps inadvertently) solving the strong CP problem. In this setting, SUSY develops a dark matter candidate, the SUSY DFSZ axion, and possibly, though not necessarily, a WIMP dark matter candidate as well, depending on the order of the induced R-parity violating operators.
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BibTeX
@misc{baer2026serendipitous,
title = {{Serendipitous supersymmetric solution to the strong CP problem}},
author = {Howard Baer and Vernon Barger and Dibyashree Sengupta},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2607.07921},
eprint = {2607.07921},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.07921},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Serendipitous supersymmetric solution to the strong CP problem
AU - Howard Baer
AU - Vernon Barger
AU - Dibyashree Sengupta
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/02
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2607.07921
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.07921
AB - The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) has several problems: 1. its μ term must be forbidden, then regenerated at the weak scale, 2. it allows for R-parity violating superpotential terms which lead to rapid proton decay, 3. it allows for dimension-5 proton decay operators. The usual imposition of R- or matter parity P_M solves only the second of these, whereas anomaly-free discrete ℤ_n^R symmetries (consistent with grand unification) address all of them. Once the μ-term is forbidden by the imposition of a discrete ℤ_n^R symmetry (which can emerge as a discrete remnant of string compactifications to 4-dimensions), the MSSM develops an accidental global U(1)_PQ symmetry (thus providing a plausible origin for the global U(1)_PQ needed for solving the strong CP problem). By coupling the Higgs fields to PQ-charged gauge singlet fields X, Y (in the Kim-Nilles mechanism), and imposing SUSY breaking, one regenerates μ at the weak scale whilst breaking the discrete ℤ_n^R and the U(1)_PQ. The broken global U(1)_PQ develops a pseudo-Goldstone boson, the DFSZ axion, thus (perhaps inadvertently) solving the strong CP problem. In this setting, SUSY develops a dark matter candidate, the SUSY DFSZ axion, and possibly, though not necessarily, a WIMP dark matter candidate as well, depending on the order of the induced R-parity violating operators.
ER -