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In this paper, we consider hard-wall AdS/QCD models extended by a string-theory inspired Chern-Simons action in terms of a superconnection involving a bi-fundamental scalar field which corresponds to the open-string tachyon of brane-antibrane configurations and which is naturally identified with the holographic dual of the quark condensate in chiral symmetry breaking. This realizes both the axial and chiral anomalies of QCD with a Witten-Veneziano mechanism for the $\eta'$ mass in addition to current quark masses, but somewhat differently than in the Katz-Schwartz AdS/QCD model used previously by us to evaluate pseudoscalar and axial vector transition form factors and their contribution to the HLBL piece of the muon $g-2$. Compared to the Katz-Schwartz model, we obtain a significantly more realistic description of axial-vector mesons with regard to $f_1$-$f_1'$ mixing and equivalent photon rates. Moreover, predictions of the $f_1\to e^+e^-$ branching ratios are found to be in line with a recent phenomenological study. However, pseudoscalar transition form factors compare less well with experiment; in particular the $\pi^0$ transition form factor turns out to be overestimated at moderate non-zero virtuality. For the combined HLBL contribution to the muon $g-2$ from the towers of axial vector mesons and excited pseudoscalars we obtain, however, a result very close to that of the Katz-Schwartz model., Comment: 16 pages, REVTEX, 4 figures, 5 tables

We consider the vector and the pseudovector glueball in the top-down holographic model of large-$N_c$ QCD of Witten and their decays into ordinary mesons described by the D8 brane construction due to Sakai and Sugimoto. At leading order, the relevant interactions are determined exclusively by the Chern-Simons action of the D8 branes and are thus rigidly connected to the chiral anomaly and the Wess-Zumino-Witten terms. As found in a previous study of the pseudovector glueball, which we revisit and complete, the resulting decay widths are surprisingly large, implying that both the pseudovector and the vector glueball are very broad resonances, with a conspicuous dominance of decays into $a_1\rho$ and $K_1(1400) K^*$ in the case of the vector glueball. We also obtain a certain weak mixing of vector glueballs with ordinary vector mesons, but we conclude that it does not provide an explanation for the so-called $\rho\pi$ puzzle in charmonium decays., Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures, 6 tables: v2: typos corrected

We calculate radiative decay rates of mesons and glueballs in the top-down holographic Witten-Sakai-Sugimoto model with finite quark masses. After assessing to what extent this model agrees or disagrees with experimental data, we present its predictions for so far undetermined decay channels. Contrary to widespread expectations, we obtain sizeable two-photon widths of scalar, tensor, and pseudoscalar glueballs, suggesting in particular that the observed two-photon rate of the glueball candidate $f_0(1710)$ is not too large to permit a glueball interpretation, but could be even much higher. We also discuss the so-called exotic scalar glueball, which in the Witten-Sakai-Sugimoto model is too broad to match either of the main glueball candidates $f_0(1500)$ and $f_0(1710)$, but might be of interest with regard to the alternative scenario of the so-called fragmented scalar glueball. Employing the exotic scalar glueball for the latter, much smaller two-photon rates are predicted for the ground-state glueball despite a larger total width; relatively large two-photon rates would then apply to the excited scalar glueball described by the predominantly dilatonic scalar glueball. In either case, the resulting contributions to the muon $g-2$ from hadronic light-by-light scattering involving glueball exchanges are small compared to other single meson exchanges, of the order of $\lesssim 10^{-12}$., Comment: REVTEX 41 pages, 11 tables; v2: minor additions and corrections, 2 references added

We discuss the recent progress made in using bottom-up holographic QCD models in calculating hadronic contributions to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, in particular the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution, where holographic QCD naturally satisfies the Melnikov-Vainshtein constraint by an infinite series of axial vector meson contributions., Comment: Proceedings contribution for the Workshop FCCP2022, Anacapri, Italy, Sep 22-24, 2022, to appear in EPJ Web of Conferences. 8 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; v2: minor updates in table 2

We employ the comparatively minimal extension of hard-wall AdS/QCD due to Katz and Schwartz which takes into account the U(1)$_A$ anomaly for computing hadronic light-by-light scattering contributions of pseudoscalar and axial vector mesons to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon $a_\mu$. By including a gluon condensate as one extra tunable parameter besides those fixed by $f_\pi$ and the pion, kaon, and rho masses, we obtain remarkably accurate fits for $\eta$ and $\eta'$ masses and their decay rates to photons, leading to $a_\mu$ contributions in complete agreement with the Standard Model result by the Muon $g-2$ Theory Initiative. Turning to the less well understood axial vector contributions, we update our previous predictions obtained in flavor-symmetric hard-wall AdS/QCD models without U(1)$_A$ breaking., Comment: REVTEX, 13 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables; v2: slight extensions and updates of numerical results, minor additions, references added

Description of nuclear matter in the core of neutron stars eludes the main tools of investigation of QCD, such as perturbation theory and the lattice formulation of the theory. Recently, the application of the holographic paradigm (both via top-down and bottom-up models) to this task has led to many encouraging results, both qualitatively and quantitatively. We present our approach to the description of neutron star cores, relying on a simple model of the (double) hard-wall type: we discuss results concerning the nature of homogeneous nuclear matter at high density emerging from the model including a quarkyonic phase, the mass-radius relation for neutron stars, as well as the rather stiff equation of state we have found. We show how, despite the very simple model employed, for an appropriate calibration we are able to obtain neutron stars that only slightly fall short of the observational bounds on radius and tidal deformability., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of the XVth Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum, 1 to 6 August 2022, Stavanger, Norway. Based on arXiv:2202.12845

We evaluate the leading-order hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon with two light flavors in minimal hard-wall and soft-wall holographic QCD models, as well as in simple generalizations thereof, and compare with the rather precise results available from dispersive and lattice approaches. While holographic QCD cannot be expected to shed light on the existing small discrepancies between the latter, this comparison in turn provides useful information on the holographic models, which have been used to evaluate hadronic light-by-light contributions where errors in data-driven and lattice approaches are more sizable. In particular, in the hard-wall model that has recently been used to implement the Melnikov-Vainshtein short-distance constraint on hadronic light-by-light contributions, a matching of the hadronic vacuum polarization to the data-driven approach points to the same correction of parameters that has been proposed recently in order to account for next-to-leading order effects., Comment: REVTEX, 18 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables; v2: references added

We study the phase diagram of (large-$N_c$) QCD using a simplistic holographic hard-wall model with a dynamical scalar field and a homogeneous Ansatz representing a smeared instanton/baryon density. The resulting phase diagram is qualitatively consistent with expectations, including a mesonic, baryonic, quarkyonic, and quark-gluon plasma phase. As in other holographic models, we also find a baryonic popcorn transition, which appears at large chemical potential as a crossover. We then evaluate the nuclear matter equation of state, which turns out to be rather stiff with a large peaked sound velocity above the conformal limit, construct corresponding neutron stars using the TOV equations, and finally use a full numerical gravity/hydrodynamics computation to extract the gravitational wave signal of neutron star mergers., Comment: LaTeX: 45 pages, 12 figures; V2: references and further details added; V3: comments added and typos corrected

We review the recent progress made in using holographic QCD to study hadronic contributions to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, in particular the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution, where the short-distance constraints associated with the axial anomaly are notoriously difficult to satisfy in hadronic models. This requires the summation of an infinite tower of axial vector mesons, which is naturally present in holographic QCD models, and indeed takes care of the longitudinal short-distance constraint due to Melnikov and Vainshtein. Numerically the results of simple hard-wall holographic QCD models point to larger contributions from axial vector mesons than assumed previously, while the predicted contributions from pseudo-Goldstone bosons agree nicely with data-driven approaches., Comment: Review article for Eur.Phys.J.C., topical selection "New Frontiers in Holographic Duality", 18 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables (v2: references updated, typo in table 2 corrected)

We extend our previous calculations of the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment in holographic QCD to models with finite quark masses and a tower of massive pions. Analysing the role of the latter in the Wess-Zumino-Witten action, we show that the Melnikov-Vainshtein short-distance constraint is satisfied solely by the summation of contributions from the infinite tower of axial vector meson contributions. There is also an enhancement of the asymptotic behavior of pseudoscalar contributions when their infinite tower of excitations is summed, but this leads only to subleading contributions for the short-distance constraints on light-by-light scattering. We also refine our numerical evaluations, particularly in the pion and $a_1$ sector, which corroborates our previous findings of contributions from axial vector mesons that are significantly larger than those adopted for the effects of axials and short-distance constraints in the recent White Paper on the Standard Model prediction for $(g-2)_\mu$., Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables; v2: table IV expanded, reference added

Exclusive production of axial-vector $f_{1}(1285)$ meson in proton-proton collisions via pomeron-pomeron fusion within the tensor-pomeron approach is discussed. Two ways to construct the pomeron-pomeron-$f_{1}$ coupling are presented. We adjust the parameters of our model to the WA102 experimental data and compare with predictions of the Sakai-Sugimoto model. Predictions for LHC experiments are given., Comment: Submission to SciPost, presented by P. Lebiedowicz at XXVIII International Workshop on Deep-Inelastic Scattering and Related Subjects, Stony Brook University, New York, USA, 12-16 April 2021, Virtual Conference

Whereas the theoretical results for the dominant contributions to hadronic light-by-light scattering coming from pseudoscalar meson exchange have converged over the past years, the various published estimates of the contribution due to axial vector meson exchange differ wildly. Since holographic AdS/QCD models have proved to provide rather good models of singly and doubly virtual pion transition form factors, which reproduce remarkably well the known low-energy data and also the asymptotic leading-order pQCD behavior, it is of interest to consider their predictions for axial vector transition form factors. Indeed, we find that these reproduce also very well existing data from the L3 experiment for $f_1\to\gamma\gamma^*$. Including the full infinite tower of axial vector mesons of the AdS/QCD models we moreover show that the Melnikov-Vainshtein short-distance constraint can be satisfied, while almost all existing models for hadronic light-by-light scattering fail to incorporate it. The contribution to $g-2$, which is dominated by the first few resonances, turns out to be significantly larger than estimated previously., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Proceedings contribution for the 40th International Conference on High Energy physics - ICHEP2020, July 28 - August 6, 2020, Prague, Czech Republic (virtual meeting)

The production of $f_{1}$ ($J^{PC} = 1^{++}$) mesons in proton-proton collisions via pomeron-pomeron fusion is discussed. Two ways to construct the pomeron-pomeron-$f_{1}$ coupling are presented. Comparisons with data from the WA102 experiment are made and predictions for RHIC and LHC experiments are given., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Proceedings of The 40th International Conference on High Energy physics - ICHEP2020, July 28 - August 6, 2020, Prague, Czech Republic (virtual meeting)

We present a study of the central exclusive diffractive production of the $f_{1}(1285)$ and $f_{1}(1420)$ resonances in proton-proton collisions. The theoretical results are calculated within the tensor-pomeron approach. Two pomeron-pomeron-$f_{1}$ tensorial couplings labeled by $(l,S) = (2,2)$ and $(4,4)$ are derived. We adjust the model parameters (coupling constants, cutoff constant) to the WA102 experimental data taking into account absorption effects. Both the $(l,S) = (2,2)$ and $(4,4)$ couplings separately allow one to describe the WA102 differential distributions. We compare these predictions with those of the Sakai-Sugimoto model, where the pomeron-pomeron-$f_{1}$ couplings are determined by the mixed axial-gravitational anomaly of QCD. We derive an approximate relation between the pomeron-pomeron-$f_{1}$ coupling constants of this approach and the $(l,S) = (2,2)$ and $(4,4)$ couplings. Then we present our predictions for the energies available at the RHIC and LHC. The total cross sections and several differential distributions are presented. Analysis of the distributions in the azimuthal angle $\phi_{pp}$ between the transverse momenta of the outgoing protons may be used to disentangle $f_{1}$- and $\eta$-type resonances contributing to the same final channel. We find for the $f_{1}(1285)$ a total cross section $\sim 38$ $\mu$b for $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV and a rapidity cut on the $f_{1}$ of $|{\rm y_{M}}| < 2.5$. We predict a much larger cross section for production of $f_{1}(1285)$ than for production of $f_{2}(1270)$ in the $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ decay channel for the LHC energies. This opens a possibility to study the $f_{1}(1285)$ meson in experiments planned at the LHC., Comment: 47 pages, 13 figures

We evaluate axial vector transition form factors in holographic QCD models that have been shown to reproduce well recent experimental and theoretical results for the pion transition form factor. Comparing with L3 data on $f_1\to\gamma\gamma^*$ we find remarkable agreement regarding the shape of single-virtual form factors. In the double-virtual case, the holographic results differ strongly from a simple dipole form, and this has an important impact on the corresponding estimate of the axial vector contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon $a_\mu$ through hadronic light-by-light scattering. We demonstrate that hard-wall models satisfy the Melnikov-Vainshtein short-distance constraint for the latter, if and only if the infinite tower of axial vector states is included. The results for $a_\mu$, however, are strongly dominated by the first few resonances. Numerically, these results turn out to be surprisingly large: (2.9 - 4.1)$\times 10^{-10}$ in the hard-wall models, 57-58% of which are due to the longitudinal contribution, which is the one responsible for the Melnikov-Vainshtein short-distance constraint. Rescaling the holographic result to obtain an optimal fit of L3 data, but then matching only 52% of the asymptotic constraint, the result is reduced to $2.2(5)\times 10^{-10}$, which is still significantly larger than most previous phenomenological estimates of the axial vector exchange contribution., Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables; v3: more details on the MV SDC, slightly improved numerics (HW1), slightly extended summary; v4: typos corrected, summary table IV corrected by revised results of 1906.11795; v5: small corrections in appendix B

We revisit the $U(1)_A$ anomaly in the holographic model of low-energy QCD by Witten, Sakai, and Sugimoto, presenting a new and direct derivation of the Witten-Veneziano mechanism for generating the mass of the $\eta'$ through an anomalous mixing of the Ramond-Ramond $C_1$ field with the singlet component of the pseudoscalar mesons. The latter turns out to have a kinetic mixing with the normalizable modes of the $C_1$ field representing pseudoscalar glueballs, yielding additional vertices for their production and their decay that dominate over those of the unmixed case considered previously in the Witten-Sakai-Sugimoto model. The leading channel is predicted to be decay into two vector mesons, followed in importance by decay into three pseudoscalar mesons. The issue of production of pseudoscalar glueballs in radiative $J/\psi$ decays and in double diffractive processes is also discussed briefly., Comment: 1+19 pages, 1 figure, 3 tables. v2: reference added

We revisit the predictions for the pseudoscalar-photon transition form factors in bottom-up and top-down holographic QCD models which only use the pion decay constant and the $\rho$ meson mass as input. We find remarkable agreement with the available experimental data for the single-virtual $\pi^0$ form factor that have recently been extended to lower momenta by BESIII, down to 0.3 GeV$^2$. The bottom-up models moreover turn out to be roughly consistent with recent experimental results obtained by BaBar for the double-virtual $\eta'$ form factor at large momenta as well as with a recent lattice extrapolation for the double-virtual $\pi^0$ form factor. Calculating the pion pole contribution to the hadronic light-by-light scattering in the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, we find that the bottom-up models in question span the range $a_\mu^{\pi^0}=6.1(4)\cdot 10^{-10}, which is somewhat lower than estimated previously by approximating these holographic predictions through simple interpolators, and in remarkably good agreement with recent results based on a dispersive approach or lattice simulations., Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; v3: detailed comparison with dispersive approach added, one more figure and several more references; v4: typo in acknowledgments fixed; v5: extended discussion of eta' contribution (version to appear in PRD); v6: corrected $a_\mu$ results for the HW1 model (erratum to appear in PRD), which improves agreement with dispersive results - figures unaffected

We study the decay of a pseudovector glueball with quantum numbers $J^{PC}=1^{+-}$, the lightest glueball with spin different from zero or two, in the top-down holographic Witten-Sakai-Sugimoto model. This glueball is dual to the string-theoretic Kalb-Ramond tensor field, which completely fixes all its couplings by gauge invariance and $D$-brane anomaly inflow. The dominant decay channels are determined by a Chern-Simons-like action for the flavor branes; couplings from the Dirac-Born-Infeld action turn out to be subdominant. While the resulting width is parametrically of order $N_c^{-2}\lambda^{-1}$ for $N_c$ colors and 't Hooft coupling $\lambda$, when extrapolated to $N_c=3$ and with $\lambda$ matched to experimental data, the prediction is that the pseudovector glueball is an extremely broad resonance., Comment: 6 pages, 1 table; v2: slightly extended discussion, version to appear in Phys.Lett.B