Related papers: Custodial nonabelian gauge symmetries in realistic…
I discuss in detail the construction of realistic superstring standard--like models in the four dimensional free fermionic formulation. The analysis results in a restricted class of models with unique characteristics: (i) Three and only…
I discuss the construction of realistic superstring standard--like models in the four dimensional free fermionic formulation. I discuss the massless spectrum of the superstring standard--like models and the texture of fermion mass matrices.…
We study the problem of baryon stability in M theory, starting from realistic four-dimensional string models constructed using the free-fermion formulation of the weakly-coupled heterotic string. Suitable variants of these models manifest…
I investigate the role of nonrenormalizable terms, up to order N=8, in a superstring derived standard--like model. I argue that nonrenormalizable terms restrict the gauge symmetry, at the Planck scale, to be $SU(3)\times SU(2)\times…
The Standard Model indicates the realization of grand unified structures in nature, and can only be viewed as an effective theory below a higher energy cutoff. While the renormalizable Standard Model forbids proton decay mediating operators…
We introduce a toy model implementing the proposal of using a custodial symmetry to protect the Z b_L bbar_L coupling from large corrections. This "doublet-extended standard model" adds a weak doublet of fermions (including a heavy partner…
In most supersymmetric models the stability of the proton is ensured by invoking R-parity. A necessary ingredient to enforce R-parity is the possibility of distinguishing the lepton superfields from the Higgs ones. This is generally…
We discuss phenomenological implications of non-invertible selection rules in the framework of the supersymmetric standard model. We find that a remnant $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry of fusion algebras which holds at all-loop order plays the role…
The straightforward supersymmetrization of the Standard Model (SM) results in a phenomenologically inconsistent theory in which Baryon number ($B$) and Lepton number ($L$) are violated by dimension 4 operators, inducing fast proton decay.…
We introduce a toy model implementing the proposal of using a custodial symmetry to protect the Zbb coupling from large corrections. This "doublet-extended standard model" adds a weak doublet of fermions (including a heavy partner of the…
We recall the obstacles which seemed, long ago, to prevent one from viewing supersymmetry as a possible fundamental symmetry of Nature. Is spontaneous supersymmetry breaking possible ? Where is the spin-1/2 Goldstone fermion of…
The first part of this talk presents the general complexion of baryon and lepton number non-conservation that may arise in the context of quark-lepton unification. The second part presents the status of grand unification with and without…
We discuss the results of a search for anomaly free Abelian Z_N discrete symmetries that lead to automatic R-parity conservation and prevents dangerous higher-dimensional proton decay operators in simple extensions of the minimal…
Proton stability is one of the most perplexing puzzles in particle physics. While the renormalizable Standard Model forbids proton decay mediating operators due to accidental global symmetries, many of its extensions introduce such…
We advocate the idea that proton decay may probe physics at the Planck scale instead of the GUT scale. This is possible because supersymmetric theories have dimension-5 operators that can induce proton decay at dangerous rates, even with…
We consider non-supersymmetric quiver theories obtained by orbifolding the N=4 supersymmetric U(K) gauge theory by a discrete Z_\Gamma group embedded in the SU(4) R-symmetry group. We explicitly find that in such theories there are no…
Models where the baryon (B) and lepton (L) numbers are local gauge symmetries that are spontaneously broken at a low scale are revisited. We find new extensions of the Standard Model which predict the existence of fermions that carry both…
We review the role of R symmetries in models of supersymmetric unification in four and more dimensions, and in string theory. We show that, if one demands anomaly freedom and fermion masses, only R symmetries can forbid the supersymmetric…
Discrete and global symmetries play an essential role in many extensions of the Standard Model, for example, to preserve the proton lifetime, to prevent flavor changing neutral currents, etc. An important question is how can such symmetries…
We present a class of supersymmetric models with complete generations of composite quarks and leptons using recent non-perturbative results for the low energy dynamics of supersymmetric QCD. In these models, the quarks arise as composite…