Electric dipole moments in the generic supersymmetric standard model

The generic supersymmetric standard model is a model built from a supersymmetrized standard model field spectrum and the gauge symmetries only. The popular minimal supersymmetric standard model differs from the generic version in having R parity imposed by hand. We review an efficient formulation of the model and some of the recently obtained interesting phenomenological features, focusing on one-loop contributions to fermion electric dipole moments.     

Stabilizing the axion by discrete gauge symmetries

The axion solution to the strong CP problem makes use of a global Peccei–Quinn U(1) symmetry which is susceptible to violations from quantum gravitational effects. We show how discrete gauge symmetries can protect the axion from such violations. PQ symmetry emerges as an approximate global symmetry from discrete gauge symmetries. Simple models based on Z_N symmetries with N=11,12, etc., are presented realizing the DFSZ axion and the KSVZ axion. The discrete gauge anomalies are canceled by a discrete version of the Green–Schwarz mechanism. In the supersymmetric extension our models provide a natural link between the SUSY breaking scale, the axion scale, and the SUSY-preserving μ term.     

Extended antifield formalism

The antifield formalism is extended so as to incorporate the rigid symmetries of a given theory. To that end, it is necessary to introduce global ghosts not only for the given rigid symmetries, but also for all the higher order conservation laws, associated with conserved antisymmetric tensors j^μ₁3μ_k fulfilling _μ1j^μ₁3μ_k 2˜ 0. Otherwise, one may encounter obstructions of the type discussed in by the authors. These higher order conservation laws are shown to define additional rigid symmetries of the master equation and to form — together with the standard symmetries — an interesting algebraic structure. They lead furthermore to independent Ward identities which are derived in the standard manner, because the resulting master (“Zinn-Justin”) equation capturing both the gauge symmetries and the rigid symmetries of all orders takes a known form. Issues such as anomalies or consistent deformations of the action preserving some set of rigid symmetries can be also systematically analysed in this framework.     

Spontaneous breaking of scale invariance in a supersymmetric model

The phase structure of a large N, O(N) supersymmetric model in three dimensions is studied. Of special interest is the spontaneous breaking of scale invariance which occurs at a fixed value of the coupling constant, λ₀=λ_c=4π. In this phase the bosons and fermions acquire a mass while a Goldstone boson (dilaton) and Goldstone fermion (“dilatino”) are dynamically generated as massless bound states. The absence of renormalization of the dimensionless coupling constant λ₀ leaves these Goldstone particles massless.     

Supersymmetric model with an extra U(1) gauge symmetry forbidding proton decay

In the standard model the proton is protected from decay naturally by gauge symmetries, whereas in the ordinary minimal supersymmetric standard model an ad hoc discrete symmetry is imposed for the proton stability. We present a new supersymmetric model in which the proton decay is forbidden by an extra U(1) gauge symmetry. Particle contents are necessarily increased to be free from anomalies, incorporating right-handed neutrinos. Both Dirac and Majorana masses are generated for neutrinos, yielding nonvanishing but small masses. The superpotential consists only of trilinear couplings and the mass parameter &mgr; of the minimal model is induced by spontaneous breaking of the U(1) symmetry.     

Extended conformal symmetries

We discuss various aspects of two-dimensional extended conformal symmetries, better known under the name “W-symmetries”. In particular, we discuss the gauging of W - symmetries and the construction of the so-called “W-gravity” theories.     

Thermodynamical and Green function many-body Wick theorems

The thermodynamical and Green function many-body reduction theorems of Wick type are proved for the arbitrary mixtures of the fermion, boson and spin systems. “Many-body” means that the operators used are the products of the arbitrary number of one-body standard basis operators [of the fermion or (and) spin types] with different site (wave vector) indices, but having the same “time” (in the interaction representation). The method of proving is based on: 1) the first-order differential equation of Schwinger type for: 1a) -product of operators; 1b) its average value; 2) KMS boundary conditions for this average. It is shown that the fermion, boson and spin systems can be unified in the many-body formulation (bosonification of the fermion systems). It is impossible in the one-body approach. Both of the many-body versions of the Wick theorem have the recurrent feature: nth order moment diagrams for the free energy or Green functions can be expressed by the (n −1)th order ones. This property corresponds to the automatic realization of: (i) summations over Bose-Einstein or (and) Fermi-Dirac frequencies; (ii) elimination of Bose-Einstein or (and) Fermi-Dirac distributions. The procedures (i) and (ii), being the results of using the Green function one-body reduction theorem, have constituted the significant difficulty up to now in the treatment of quantum systems.     

Realistic Type IIB supersymmetric Minkowski flux vacua

We show that there exist supersymmetric Minkowski vacua on Type IIB toroidal orientifold with general flux compactifications where the RR tadpole cancellation conditions can be relaxed elegantly. Then we present a realistic Pati–Salam like model. At the string scale, the gauge symmetry can be broken down to the Standard Model (SM) gauge symmetry, the gauge coupling unification can be achieved naturally, and all the extra chiral exotic particles can be decoupled so that we have the supersymmetric SMs with/without SM singlet(s) below the string scale. The observed SM fermion masses and mixings can also be obtained. In addition, the unified gauge coupling, the dilaton, the complex structure moduli, the real parts of the Kähler moduli and the sum of the imaginary parts of the Kähler moduli can be determined as functions of the four-dimensional dilaton and fluxes, and can be estimated as well.     

Broken symmetries from minimally doubled fermions

Novel chirally symmetric fermion actions containing the minimum amount of fermion doubling have been recently proposed in the literature. We study the symmetries and renormalization of these actions and find that in each case, discrete symmetries, such as parity and time-reversal, are explicitly broken. Consequently, when the gauge interactions are included, these theories radiatively generate relevant and marginal operators. The restoration of these symmetries and the approach to the continuum limit thus require the fine-tuning of several parameters. With some assumptions, we show that this behavior is expected for actions displaying minimal fermion doubling.     

Itinerant-localized duality description of the spin fluctuations in the normal state of high-Tc cuprates. An explanation of neutron scattering experiments

On the basis of the itinerant-localized duality theory of spin fluctuations, the puzzling aspects of the neutron scattering experiments in the normal state of high-T_c cuprates are clarified from a global point of view. The dynamical spin structure factor exhibits two different aspects depending on the energy transfer ω. At lower energies, ω < ω_c, where ω_c is the fermion coherence energy, the spectrum is coherent so that the characteristic scales for wavevector and energy are temperature dependent, while at higher energies, ω > ω_c, the spectrum is incoherent so that those characteristic scales are temperature independent. The integrated weight of the coherent part of the spectrum exhibits the so-called “spin gap” behavior when the Fermi surface of the itinerant fermion is technically nested, even though there is no excitation gap in the spectrum at all.     

Completeness of “good” Bethe ansatz solutions of a quantum-group-invariant Heisenberg model

The sl_q(2) quantum-group-invariant Heisenberg model with open boundary conditions is investigated by means of the Bethe ansatz. As is well known, quantum groups for q equal to a root of unity possess a finite number of “good” representations with non-zero q-dimension and “bad” ones with vanishing q-dimension. Correspondingly, the state space of an invariant Heisenberg chain decomposes into “good” and “bad” states. A “good” state may be described by a path of only “good” representations. It is shown that the “good” states are given by all “good” Bethe ansatz solutions with roots restricted to the first periodicity strip, i.e. only positive-parity strings (in the language of Takahashi) are allowed. Applying Bethe's string-counting technique completeness of the “good” Bethe states is proven, i.e. the same number of states is found as the number of all restricted paths on the sl_q(2) Bratteli diagram. It is the first time that a “completeness” proof for an anisotropic quantum-invariant reduced Heisenberg model is performed.     

Symmetries and motions in manifolds

In these lectures the relations between symmetries, Lie algebras, Killing vectors and Noether's theorem are reviewed. A generalisation of the basic ideas to include velocity-dependent co-ordinate transformations naturally leads to the concept of Killing tensors. Via their Poisson brackets these tensors generate an a priori infinite-dimensional Lie algebra. The nature of such infinite algebras is clarified using the example of flat space-time. Next the formalism is extended to spinning space, which in addition to the standard real co-ordinates is parametrised also by Grassmann-valued vector variables. The equations for extremal trajectories (“geodesics”) of these spaces describe the pseudo-classical mechanics of a Dirac fermion. We apply the formalism to solve for the motion of a pseudo-classical electron in Schwarzschild space-time.     

On the computation of one-loop amplitudes with external fermions in 4D heterotic superstrings

We present the technical tools needed to compute any one-loop amplitude involving external spacetime fermions in a four-dimensional heterotic string model à la Kawai-Lewellen-Tye. As an example, we compute the one-loop three-point amplitude with one “photon” and two external massive fermions (“electrons”). As a check of our computation, we verify that the one-loop contribution to the Anomalous Magnetic Moment vanishes if the model has spacetime supersymmetry, as required by the supersymmetric sum rules.     

Anomaly matching conditions in supersymmetric gauge theories

Sufficient conditions are proven for 't Hooft's consistency conditions to hold at points in the moduli space of supersymmetric gauge theories. Known results for anomaly matching in supersymmetric QCD are rederived as a sample application of the results. The results can be used to show that the anomaly matching conditions hold for s-confining theories.     

A novel string-derived $Z^\prime$ with stable proton,light neutrinos and R-parity violation

The standard model indicates the realization of grand unified structures in nature, and it can only be viewed as an effective theory below a higher energy cutoff. While the renormalizable standard model forbids proton decay mediating operators due to accidental global symmetries, many extensions of the standard model introduce such dimension 4, 5 and 6 operators. Furthermore, quantum gravity effects are expected to induce proton instability, indicating that the higher energy cutoff scale must be above 10¹⁶ GeV. Quasi-realistic heterotic string models provide the arena to explore how perturbative quantum gravity affects the particle physics phenomenology. An appealing explanation for the proton longevity is provided by the existence of an Abelian gauge symmetry that suppresses the proton decay mediating operators. Additionally, such a low scale U(1) symmetry should feature the following: it should allow for the suppression of the left-handed neutrino masses by a seesaw mechanism; allow for fermion Yukawa couplings to the electroweak Higgs doublets; be anomaly free; and finally be family universal. These requirements render the existence of such U(1) symmetries in quasi-realistic heterotic string models highly non-trivial. We demonstrate the existence of a U(1) symmetry that satisfies all of the above requirements in a class of left–right symmetric heterotic string models in the free fermionic formulation. The existence of the extra in the energy range accessible to future experiments is motivated by the requirement of adequate suppression of proton decay mediation. We further show that, while the extra U(1) forbids dimension 4 baryon number violating operators, it allows dimension 4 lepton number violating operators and R-parity violation.     

A Pati–Salam model from branes

We explore the possibility of embedding the Pati–Salam model in the context of Type I brane models. We study a generic model with U(4)_C×U(2)_L×U(2)_R gauge symmetry and matter fields compatible with a Type I brane configuration. Examining the anomaly cancellation conditions of the surplus abelian symmetries we find an alternative hypercharge embedding that is compatible with a low string/brane scale of the order of 5–7 TeV, when the U(4)_C and U(2)_R brane stack couplings are equal. Proton stability is assured as baryon number is associated to a global symmetry remnant of the broken abelian factors. It is also shown that this scenario can accommodate an extra low energy abelian symmetry that can be associated to lepton number. The issue of fermion and especially neutrino masses is also discussed.     

Discrete symmetry and GUT breaking

We study the supersymmetric GUT models in which the supersymmetry and GUT gauge symmetry can be broken by a discrete symmetry. First, with the ansatz that there exist discrete symmetries in the branes' neighborhoods, we discuss the general reflection symmetries and GUT breaking on and . In those models, the extra dimensions can be large and the KK states can be set arbitrarily heavy. Second, considering that the extra space manifold is the annulus or the disc , we can define any symmetry and break any 6-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric SU(M) models down to the 4-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric models for the zero modes. In particular, there might exist the interesting scenario on where just a few KK states are light, while the others are relatively heavy. Third, we discuss the complete global discrete symmetries on and study the GUT breaking. Received: 12 February 2002 / Published online: 14 June 2002