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  • Open Access

High quality QCD axion in the Standard Model

Jie Sheng1,* and Tsutomu T. Yanagida1,2,†

  • *Contact author: jie.sheng@ipmu.jp
  • †Contact author: tsutomu.tyanagida@gmail.com
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 055010 – Published 4 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/h9ws-xgst

Abstract

Although the axion is the most compelling solution to the strong CP problem, the ad hoc introduced global Peccei-Quinn symmetry suffers from a severe fine-tuning problem known as the quality problem. In this letter, we show that the discrete gauge symmetry Z4×Z3 motivated from the internal structure of the standard model can naturally predict a high-quality axion, leading to a distinct and testable parameter space. Remarkably, this minimal framework simultaneously accounts for neutrino masses, baryon asymmetry, and dark matter.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 055010– Published 4 March, 2026
  • Received 25 October 2025
  • Accepted 11 February 2026
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