Gauge Coupling Unification from Unified Theories in Higher Dimensions

Higher dimensional grand unified theories, with gauge symmetry breaking by orbifold compactification, possess SU(5) breaking at fixed points, and do not automatically lead to tree-level gauge coupling unification. A new framework is introduced that guarantees precise unification -- even the leading loop threshold corrections are predicted, although they are model dependent. Precise agreement with the experimental result, \alpha_s^{exp} = 0.117 \pm 0.002, occurs only for a unique theory, and gives \alpha_s^{KK} = 0.118 \pm 0.004 \pm 0.003. Remarkably, this unique theory is also the simplest, with SU(5) gauge interactions and two Higgs hypermultiplets propagating in a single extra dimension. This result is more successful and precise than that obtained from conventional supersymmetric grand unification, \alpha_s^{SGUT} = 0.130 \pm 0.004 \pm \Delta_{SGUT}. There is a simultaneous solution to the three outstanding problems of 4D supersymmetric grand unified theories: a large mass splitting between Higgs doublets and their color triplet partners is forced, proton decay via dimension five operators is automatically forbidden, and the absence of fermion mass relations amongst light quarks and leptons is guaranteed, while preserving the successful m_b/m_\tau relation. The theory necessarily has a strongly coupled top quark located on a fixed point and part of the lightest generation propagating in the bulk. The string and compactification scales are determined to be around 10^{17} GeV and 10^{15} GeV, respectively.Comment: 29 pages, LaTe

Biogeochemical processes in the active layer and permafrost of a high Arctic fjord valley

Warming of ground is causing microbial decomposition of previously frozen sedimentary organic carbon in Arctic permafrost. However, the heterogeneity of the permafrost landscape and its hydrological processes result in different biogeochemical processes across relatively small scales, with implications for predicting the timing and magnitude of permafrost carbon emissions. The biogeochemical processes of iron- and sulfate-reduction produce carbon dioxide and suppress methanogenesis. Hence, in this study, the biogeochemical processes occurring in the active layer and permafrost of a high Arctic fjord valley in Svalbard are identified from the geochemical and stable isotope analysis of aqueous and particulate fractions in sediment cores collected from ice-wedge polygons with contrasting water content. In the drier polygons, only a small concentration of organic carbon (<5.40 dry weight%) has accumulated. Sediment cores from these drier polygons have aqueous and solid phase chemistries that imply sulfide oxidation coupled to carbonate and silicate dissolution, leading to high concentrations of aqueous iron and sulfate in the pore water profiles. These results are corroborated by δ34S and δ18O values of sulfate in active layer pore waters, which indicate the oxidative weathering of sedimentary pyrite utilising either oxygen or ferric iron as oxidising agents. Conversely, in the sediments of the consistently water-saturated polygons, which contain a high content of organic carbon (up to 45 dry weight%), the formation of pyrite and siderite occurred via the reduction of iron and sulfate. δ34S and δ18O values of sulfate in active layer pore waters from these water-saturated polygons display a strong positive correlation (R2 = 0.98), supporting the importance of sulfate reduction in removing sulfate from the pore water. The significant contrast in the dominant biogeochemical processes between the water-saturated and drier polygons indicates that small-scale hydrological variability between polygons induces large differences in the concentration of organic carbon and in the cycling of iron and sulfur, with ramifications for the decomposition pathway of organic carbon in permafrost environments

Strongly Coupled Grand Unification in Higher Dimensions

We consider the scenario where all the couplings in the theory are strong at the cut-off scale, in the context of higher dimensional grand unified field theories where the unified gauge symmetry is broken by an orbifold compactification. In this scenario, the non-calculable correction to gauge unification from unknown ultraviolet physics is naturally suppressed by the large volume of the extra dimension, and the threshold correction is dominated by a calculable contribution from Kaluza-Klein towers that gives the values for \sin^2\theta_w and \alpha_s in good agreement with low-energy data. The threshold correction is reliably estimated despite the fact that the theory is strongly coupled at the cut-off scale. A realistic 5d supersymmetric SU(5) model is presented as an example, where rapid d=6 proton decay is avoided by putting the first generation matter in the 5d bulk.Comment: 17 pages, latex, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Regularisation Techniques for the Radiative Corrections of Wilson lines and Kaluza-Klein states

Within an effective field theory framework we compute the most general structure of the one-loop corrections to the 4D gauge couplings in one- and two-dimensional orbifold compactifications with non-vanishing constant gauge background (Wilson lines). Although such models are non-renormalisable, we keep the analysis general by considering the one-loop corrections in three regularisation schemes: dimensional regularisation (DR), Zeta-function regularisation (ZR) and proper-time cut-off regularisation (PT). The relations among the results obtained in these schemes are carefully addressed. With minimal re-definitions of the parameters involved, the results obtained for the radiative corrections can be applied to most orbifold compactifications with one or two compact dimensions. The link with string theory is discussed. We mention a possible implication for the gauge couplings unification in such models.Comment: 37 pages, 1 Figure, LaTeX; minor correction

On 'Light' Fermions and Proton Stability in 'Big Divisor' D3/D7 Swiss Cheese Phenomenology

Building up on our earlier work [1,2], we show the possibility of generating "light" fermion mass scales of MeV-GeV range (possibly related to first two generations of quarks/leptons) as well as eV (possibly related to first two generations of neutrinos) in type IIB string theory compactified on Swiss-Cheese orientifolds in the presence of a mobile space-time filling D3-$brane restricted to (in principle) stacks of fluxed D7-branes wrapping the "big" divisor \Sigma_B. This part of the paper is an expanded version of the latter half of section 3 of a published short invited review [3] written up by one of the authors [AM]. Further, we also show that there are no SUSY GUT-type dimension-five operators corresponding to proton decay, as well as estimate the proton lifetime from a SUSY GUT-type four-fermion dimension-six operator to be 10^{61} years. Based on GLSM calculations in [1] for obtaining the geometric Kaehler potential for the "big divisor", using further the Donaldson's algorithm, we also briefly discuss in the first of the two appendices, obtaining a metric for the Swiss-Cheese Calabi-Yau used, that becomes Ricci flat in the large volume limit.Comment: v2: 1+25 pages, Title modified and text thoroughly expanded including a brief discussion on obtaining Ricci-flat Swiss Cheese Calabi-Yau metrics using the Donaldson's algorithm, references added, to appear in EPJ

A Constrained Standard Model from a Compact Extra Dimension

A SU(3) \times SU(2) \times U(1) supersymmetric theory is constructed with a TeV sized extra dimension compactified on the orbifold S^1/(Z_2 \times Z_2'). The compactification breaks supersymmetry leaving a set of zero modes which correspond precisely to the states of the 1 Higgs doublet standard model. Supersymmetric Yukawa interactions are localized at orbifold fixed points. The top quark hypermultiplet radiatively triggers electroweak symmetry breaking, yielding a Higgs potential which is finite and exponentially insensitive to physics above the compactification scale. This potential depends on only a single free parameter, the compactification scale, yielding a Higgs mass prediction of 127 \pm 8 GeV. The masses of the all superpartners, and the Kaluza-Klein excitations are also predicted. The lightest supersymmetric particle is a top squark of mass 197 \pm 20 GeV. The top Kaluza-Klein tower leads to the \rho parameter having quadratic sensitivity to unknown physics in the ultraviolet.Comment: 31 pages, Latex, 2 eps figures, minor correction

Gauge Unification in Supersymmetric Intersecting Brane Worlds

We show that contrary to first expectations realistic three generation supersymmetric intersecting brane world models give rise to phenomenologically interesting predictions about gauge coupling unification. Assuming the most economical way of realizing the matter content of the MSSM via intersecting branes we obtain a model independent relation among the three gauge coupling constants at the string scale. In order to correctly reproduce the experimentally known values of sin^2[theta_W(M_z)] and alpha_s(M_z) this relation leads to natural gauge coupling unification at a string scale close to the standard GUT scale 2 x 10^16 GeV. Additional vector-like matter can push the unification scale up to the Planck scale.Comment: 18 pages, harvmac & 3 figures; v2: one ref. adde

Unification in 5D SO(10)

Gauge unification in a five dimensional supersymmetric SO(10) model compactified on an orbifold $S^1/(Z_2 \times Z_2^{\prime})$ is studied. One orbifolding reduces N=2 supersymmetry to N=1, and the other breaks SO(10) to the Pati-Salam gauge group \ps. Further breaking to the standard model gauge group is made through the Higgs mechanism on one of the branes. The differences of the three gauge couplings run logarithmically even in five dimensions and we can keep the predictability for unification as in four dimensional gauge theories. We obtain an excellent prediction for gauge coupling unification with a cutoff scale $M_* \sim 3 \times 10^{17}$ GeV and a compactification scale $M_c \sim 1.5 \times 10^{14}$ GeV. Finally, although proton decay due to dimension 5 operators may be completely eliminated, the proton decay rate in these models is sensitive to the placement of matter multiplets in the 5th dimension, as well as to the unknown physics above the cutoff scale.Comment: 33 pages, one reference added and fig. 3 caption correcte

Electronic structure of nuclear-spin-polarization-induced quantum dots

We study a system in which electrons in a two-dimensional electron gas are confined by a nonhomogeneous nuclear spin polarization. The system consists of a heterostructure that has non-zero nuclei spins. We show that in this system electrons can be confined into a dot region through a local nuclear spin polarization. The nuclear-spin-polarization-induced quantum dot has interesting properties indicating that electron energy levels are time-dependent because of the nuclear spin relaxation and diffusion processes. Electron confining potential is a solution of diffusion equation with relaxation. Experimental investigations of the time-dependence of electron energy levels will result in more information about nuclear spin interactions in solids

Theory-Motivated Benchmark Models and Superpartners at the Tevatron

Recently published benchmark models have contained rather heavy superpartners. To test the robustness of this result, several benchmark models have been constructed based on theoretically well-motivated approaches, particularly string-based ones. These include variations on anomaly and gauge-mediated models, as well as gravity mediation. The resulting spectra often have light gauginos that are produced in significant quantities at the Tevatron collider, or will be at a 500 GeV linear collider. The signatures also provide interesting challenges for the LHC. In addition, these models usually account for electroweak symmetry breaking with relatively less fine-tuning than previous benchmark models.Comment: 44 pages, 4 figures; some typos corrected. Revisions reflect published versio