• Jogesh C Pati

Articles written in Pramana – Journal of Physics

• Probing grand unification with fermion masses, neutrino oscillations and proton decay

It is noted that a set of facts points to the relevance in four dimensions of conventional supersymmetric unification based on minimally a string-unifiedG(224) symmetry, or maximallySO(10). These include: (i) the observed family structure, (ii) quantization of electric charge, (iii) meeting of the three gauge couplings, (iv) neutrino oscillations (in particular the value of δm2(νμ−δτ), suggested by SuperK), (v) the intricate pattern of the masses and mixings of the fermions, including the smallness ofVcb and the largeness ofθμνμτosc, and (vi) the need for B-L as a generator to implement baryogenesis (via leptogenesis). A concrete proposal is presented within a predictiveSO(10)/G(224) framework that successfully describes the masses and mixings of all fermions, including the neutrinos — with eight predictions, all in agreement with observation. Within this framework, a systematic study of proton decay is carried out, which (a) pays special attention to its dependence on the fermion masses, (b) limits the threshold corrections so as to preserve natural coupling unification, and (c) uses recently improved values of the matrix element and renormalization effects. Allowing for both minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) and its proposed variant, the so-called extended supersymmetric standard model (ESSM), as effective low-energy the ories, the study shows that a conservative upper limit on the proton lifetime is about (l–2)× 1034 years, with ·K+ being the dominant decay mode, and quite possibly μ+K0 ande+π0 being prominent. This in turn strongly suggests that an improvement in the current sensitivity by a factor of five to ten ought to reveal proton decay. For comparison, some alternatives to the conventional approach to unification pursued here are mentioned at the end.

• Links between neutrino oscillations, leptogenesis, and proton decay within supersymmetric grand unification

Evidence in favor of supersymmetric grand unification including that based on the observed family multiplet-structure, gauge coupling unification, neutrino oscillations, baryogenesis, and certain intriguing features of quark-lepton masses and mixings is noted. It is argued that attempts to understand (a) the tiny neutrino masses (especially Δm2(v2 – v3)), (b) the baryon asymmetry of the Universe (which seems to need leptogenesis), and (c) the observed features of fermion masses such as the ratiomb/mτ, the smallness ofVcb and the maximality of$$\Theta _{\nu _\mu \nu _\tau }^{OSC}$$ seem to select out the route to higher unification based on an effective string-unifiedG(224) =SU(2)L ×SU(2)R ×SU(2)c orSO(10)-symmetry that should be operative in 4D, as opposed to other alternatives. A predictiveSO(10)/G(224)-framework possessing supersymmetry is presented that successfully describes the masses and mixings of all fermions including neutrinos. It also accounts for the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe by utilizing the process of leptogenesis, which is natural to this framework. It is argued that a conservative upper limit on the proton lifetime within thisSO(10)/G(224)-framework, which is so far most successful, is given by$$\frac{1}{3} - 2$$ x 1034 years. This in turn strongly suggests that an improvement in the current sensitivity by a factor of five to ten (compared to SuperK) ought to reveal proton decay. Implications of this prediction for the next-generation nucleon decay and neutrino-detector are noted.

• # Pramana – Journal of Physics

Volume 94, 2020
All articles
Continuous Article Publishing mode

• # Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

Posted on July 25, 2019