Regulated chiral gauge theory and the strong CP problem

Abstract

Four-dimensional chiral gauge theory can be formulated as the boundary theory on a five-dimensional manifold in a manner that may be realized on a finite lattice. There are interesting features of these theories which defy a purely four-dimensional conception of universality. We find that QCD when embedded in a chiral gauge theory (the Standard Model) and regulated this way can simultaneously avoid both the $U(1)_A$ problem and the strong $CP$ problem, with a central role played by fermion zeromodes localized far away in the fifth dimension. In this way it differs from conventional lattice QCD formulated as a stand-alone theory, universality being violated by inaccessible light modes in the five-dimensional bulk. Our analysis builds on recent work by others that highlights the role of global $U(1)$ symmetries in five dimensional formulations of four-dimensional chiral gauge theories, and the generic appearance of fermion zeromodes in the bulk.