Quark-lepton symmetry and B − L as the U(1) generator of the electroweak symmetry group

Abstract

We seek an interpretation of the U(1) part of the electroweak symmetry group in terms of the quantum number B − L. We show that the electroweak symmetry group, for which U(1) can be interpreted as a local B − L symmetry, is the left-right symmetry group SU(2) L × SU(2) R × U(1) L+R. The equating of U L+R(1) to U B− L (1) should lead to physical consequences which are not shared by standard gauge theory. B − L may also help to explain the inversion of quark and lepton mass spectra.