Minimal SUSY SO(10), b–τ unification and large neutrino mixings

We show that the assumption of type II seesaw mechanism for small neutrino masses coupled with b–τ mass unification in a minimal SUSY SO(10) model leads not only to a natural understanding of large atmospheric mixing angle (θ₂₃) among neutrinos, as recently noted, but also to large solar angle (θ₁₂) and a small θ₁₃≡U_e3 as required to fit observations. No additional symmetries are required to obtain large neutrino mixings. The proposed long baseline neutrino experiments will provide a crucial test of this model since it predicts U_e30.16.