Related papers: String Unification, Higher-Level Gauge Symmetries,…
This is a pedagogical review article surveying the various approaches towards understanding gauge coupling unification within string theory. As is well known, one of the major problems confronting string phenomenology has been an apparent…
A long-standing problem in string phenomenology has been the fact that the string unification scale disagrees with the GUT scale obtained by extrapolating low-energy data within the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model…
We consider non-canonical embeddings of the MSSM in high-dimensional orbifold GUTs based on the gauge symmetry SU(N), N=5,6,7,8. The hypercharge normalization factor k_Y can either have unique non-canonical values, such as 23/21 in a…
We discuss the unification of gauge couplings within the framework of a wide class of realistic free-fermionic string models which have appeared in the literature, including the flipped SU(5), SO(6)xSO(4), and various SU(3)xSU(2)xU(1)…
Recently J. Giedt discussed a mechanism, entitled optical unification, whereby string scale unification is facilitated via exotic matter with intermediate scale mass. This mechanism guarantees that a virtual MSSM unification below the…
The lower limit to string coupling unification in weakly coupled heterotic strings was shown by Kaplunovsky to be around Lambda_H ~ 5 x 10^{17} GeV. In contrast, under the scenario of an intermediate scale desert, the SU(3)_C x SU(2)_L x…
The string theory predicts the unification of the gauge couplings and gravity. The minimal supersymmetric Standard Model, however, gives the unification scale $\sim 2\times 10^{16}$ GeV which is significantly smaller than the string scale…
We calculate the weak scale MSSM spectrum starting from a heterotic string theory compactified on an anisotropic orbifold. Supersymmetry breaking is mediated by vector-like exotics that arise naturally in heterotic string theories. The…
General features of the spectra of matter states in all 175 models found in a previous work by the author are discussed. Only twenty patterns of representations are found to occur. Accomodation of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model…
We investigate whether the hypercharge assignments in the Standard Model can be interpreted as a hint at Grand Unification in the context of heterotic string theory. To this end, we introduce a general method to calculate U(1)_Y for any…
We consider the methods by which higher-level and non-simply laced gauge symmetries can be realized in free-field heterotic string theory. We show that all such realizations have a common underlying feature, namely a dimensional truncation…
We describe a class of supersymmetric unified models with the following properties: i) the full breaking of the gauge group is achieved by Higgs fields in the fundamental representation; ii) the correct unification of the strong and…
We use a new approach to study string scale gauge coupling unification systematically, allowing both the possibility of non-canonical U(1)_Y normalization and the existence of vector-like particles whose quantum numbers are the same as…
The recent conjecture of possible equivalence between the string scale $M_S$ and the minimal supersymmetric standard model unification scale M_U ~ 2.5 x 10^{16} GeV is considered in the context of string models. This conjecture suggests…
The string landscape suggests that the supersymmetry breaking scale can be high, and then the simplest low energy effective theory is the Standard Model (SM). Considering grand unification scale supersymmetry breaking, we show that gauge…
The minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), is perhaps the leading candidate for new physics beyond the standard model, but it encounters difficulties with string gauge unification and in addition does not shed any light on the…
In the context of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), we discuss the introduction of exotic matter below the string scale $M_X$ in order to achieve gauge unification at $M_X$ (a constraint of a large class of string models).…
In order to achieve gauge unification at the string scale M_X sim 5.10^17 GeV in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) it is necessary to add extra gauge non-singlet representations at an intermediate scale M_I<M_X, leading to a…
We study gauge threshold corrections for local brane models embedded in a large compact space. A large bulk volume gives important contributions to the Konishi and super-Weyl anomalies and the effective field theory analysis implies the…
We study the gauge coupling unification of the minimal supersymmetric standard model with non-universal soft scalar and gaugino masses. The unification scale of the gauge couplings is estimated for non-universal cases. It is sensitive to…