Induced Proton Decay Research Articles

The Higgs Mechanism and Spacetime Symmetry

In this review, we summarize the results of the analysis of the inherent relation between the Higgs mechanism and spacetime symmetry provided by generic incorporation of the de Sitter vacuum as a false vacuum with the equation of state p=−ρ. This relation has been verified by the application for the interpretation of the experimental results on the negative mass squares for neutrinos, and of the appearance of the minimal length in the annihilation reaction e+e−→γγ(γ). An additional verification is expected for the dark matter candidates with the interior de Sitter vacuum of the GUT scale, whose predicted observational signatures include the induced proton decay in the matter of an underground detector, such as IceCUBE.

Dark Matter Candidates with Dark Energy Interiors Determined by Energy Conditions

We outline the basic properties of regular black holes, their remnants and self-gravitating solitons G-lumps with the de Sitter and phantom interiors, which can be considered as heavy dark matter (DM) candidates generically related to a dark energy (DE). They are specified by the condition T t t = T r r and described by regular solutions of the Kerr-Shild class. Solutions for spinning objects can be obtained from spherical solutions by the Newman-Janis algorithm. Basic feature of all spinning objects is the existence of the equatorial de Sitter vacuum disk in their deep interiors. Energy conditions distinguish two types of their interiors, preserving or violating the weak energy condition dependently on violation or satisfaction of the energy dominance condition for original spherical solutions. For the 2-nd type the weak energy condition is violated and the interior contains the phantom energy confined by an additional de Sitter vacuum surface. For spinning solitons G-lumps a phantom energy is not screened by horizons and influences their observational signatures, providing a source of information about the scale and properties of a phantom energy. Regular BH remnants and G-lumps can form graviatoms binding electrically charged particles. Their observational signature is the electromagnetic radiation with the frequencies depending on the energy scale of the interior de Sitter vacuum within the range available for observations. A nontrivial observational signature of all DM candidates with de Sitter interiors predicted by analysis of dynamical equations is the induced proton decay in an underground detector like IceCUBE, due to non-conservation of baryon and lepton numbers in their GUT scale false vacuum interiors.

ΔL=3 processes: Proton decay and the LHC

We discuss lepton number violation in three units. From an effective field theory point of view, $\Delta L=3$ processes can only arise from dimension 9 or higher operators. These operators also violate baryon number, hence many of them will induce proton decay. Given the high dimensionality of these operators, in order to have a proton half-life in the observable range, the new physics associated to $\Delta L=3$ processes should be at a scale as low as 1 TeV. This opens up the possibility of searching for such processes not only in proton decay experiments but also at the LHC. In this work we analyze the relevant $d=9,11,13$ operators which violate lepton number in three units. We then construct one simple concrete model with interesting low- and high-energy phenomenology.

Regular black hole remnants and graviatoms with de Sitter interior as heavy dark matter candidates probing inhomogeneity of early universe

We address the question of regular primordial black holes with de Sitter interior, their remnants and gravitational vacuum solitons G-lumps as heavy dark matter candidates providing signatures for inhomogeneity of early universe, which is severely constrained by the condition that the contribution of these objects in the modern density does not exceed the total density of dark matter. Primordial black holes and their remnants seem to be most elusive among dark matter candidates. However, we reveal a nontrivial property of compact objects with de Sitter interior to induce proton decay or decay of neutrons in neutron stars. The point is that they can form graviatoms, binding electrically charged particles. Their observational signatures as dark matter candidates provide also signatures for inhomogeneity of the early universe. In graviatoms, the cross-section of the induced proton decay is strongly enhanced, what provides the possibility of their experimental searches. We predict proton decay paths induced by graviatoms in the matter as an observational signature for heavy dark matter searches at the IceCUBE experiment.

Enhancement of proton decay rates in supersymmetric SU(5) grand unified models

In the supersymmetric grand unified theories (SUSY GUTs), gauge bosons associated with the unified gauge group induce proton decay. We investigate the proton decay rate via the gauge bosons in the SUSY GUTs under the two situations; one is with extra vector-like multiplets, and the other is with heavy sfermions. It is found that the proton lifetime is significantly reduced in the former case, while in the latter case it is slightly prolonged. Determination of the particle contents and their mass spectrum below the GUT scale is important to predict the proton lifetime. The proton decay searches have started to access to the 1016GeV scale.

Probing the Planck scale with proton decay

We advocate the idea that proton decay may probe physics at the Planck scale instead of the GUT scale. This is possible because supersymmetric theories have dimension-5 operators that can induce proton decay at dangerous rates, even with R-parity conservation. These operators are expected to be suppressed by the same physics that explains the fermion masses and mixings. We present a thorough analysis of nucleon partial lifetimes in models with a string-inspired anomalous U ( 1 ) X family symmetry which is responsible for the fermionic mass spectrum as well as forbidding R-parity violating interactions. Protons and neutrons can decay via R-parity conserving non-renormalizable superpotential terms that are suppressed by the Planck scale and powers of the Cabibbo angle. Many of the models naturally lead to nucleon decay near present limits without any reference to grand unification.

Proton stability in TeV-scale GUTs

We discuss the proton decay problem in theories with low gravity and/or GUT scales. We pointed out that the gravity induced proton decay can be indeed suppressed up to a desired level, while the GUT origin of the proton instability is rather problematic. To solve this problem we suggest the GUT model where the proton is stable in all orders of perturbation theory. This can be simply achieved by the replication of quark-lepton families with ordinary quarks and leptons residing in different GUT representations and by an appropriate dimensional reduction. The model predicts extra mirror states which along with the GUT particles and the excitations of extra dimensions could be observable at high-energy colliders providing the unification scale is in the TeV range.

Can the “doublet-triplet splitting” problem be solved without doublet-triplet splitting?

We consider a new possible mechanism for the natural solution of the doublet-triplet splitting problem in SUSY GUTs. In contrast to the usually discussed scenarios, in our case the GUT symmetry breaking does not provide any splitting between the Higgs doublet and the triplet masses. The weak doublet and its colour triplet partner both remain light, but the triplet automatically occurs decoupled from the quark and lepton superfields and cannot induce proton decay. The advantage of the above scenario is the absence at the GUT scale of the baryon number violating the tree level d = 5 and d = 6 operators via the colour triplet exchange. It is shown that in flipped SU(5) GUT they do not appear at any scale. In the SO(10) model, such operators can be induced after SUSY breaking but are strongly suppressed.

Physical pictures of symmetry breaking in quenched QED4

We discuss “collapse of the wavefunction” as the phenomenon underlying chiral symmetry breaking in quenched QED4. The 1/ r singularity in the “collapsed” q q wavefunction causes “catalyzed symmetry breaking” which is the field theoretic analog of “monopole induced proton decay.”. The evasion of mean field exponents by the quenched theory's chiral phase transition is emphasized.

Replication of lepton and quark fields and stability of the proton in N = 2 SUSY GUTs

We show that in N = 2 SUSY GUTs, leptons and quarks tend to combine with their mirror partners and to acquire very large masses proportional to the grand-unification mass. We solve this problem by means of a replication of lepton and quark fields. Grand-unification now associates light leptons and quarks with heavy ones of masses ⋍ m X or 2 m X. The latter carry a non-vanishing value of the central charge 〈 Z〉 = ± m X or ± 2 m X (which may be viewed as the fifth or sixth component of the covariant momentum). The exchanges of the grand-unification gauge bosons do not induce proton decay, and the proton is stable, in minimal N = 2 SUSY GUTs. Moreover the grand-unification mass does not get renormalized.