Composite fermion mass hierarchies

Abstract

We discuss a supersymmetric preon model which predicts three families of quarks and leptons. An acceptable mass hierarchy among the three fermion generations arises from a combination of mass protection mechanism due to supersymmetry and chiral symmetry on the one hand, and a hierarchy in the sizes of the composites on the other hand. A metacolor force with a scale Λ MC⪢1 TeV binds the e- and the μ-families while a hypercolor force with a scale Λ HC ∼ 1 TeV binds the τ-family; it also breaks chiral symmetry dynamically.