Toward the classification of the realistic free fermionic models

The realistic free fermionic models have had remarkable success in providing plausible explanations for various properties of the Standard Model which include the natural appearance of three generations, the explanation of the heavy top quark mass and the qualitative structure of the fermion mass spectrum in general, the stability of the proton and more. These intriguing achievements makes evident the need to understand the general space of these models. While the number of possibilities is large, general patterns can be extracted. In this paper I present a detailed discussion on the construction of the realistic free fermionic models with the aim of providing some insight into the basic structures and building blocks that enter the construction. The role of free phases in the determination of the phenomenology of the models is discussed in detail. I discuss the connection between the free phases and mirror symmetry in (2,2) models and the corresponding symmetries in the case of the (2,0) models. The importance of the free phases in determining the effective low energy phenomenology is illustrated in several examples. The classification of the models in terms of boundary condition selection rules, real world-sheet fermion pairings, exotic matter states and the hidden sector is discussed.Comment: 43 pages. Standard Late

Cabibbo--Kobayashi--Maskawa Mixing in Superstring Derived Standard--like Models

We examine the problem of three generation quark flavor mixing in realistic, superstring derived standard--like models, constructed in the free fermionic formulation. We study the sources of family mixing in these models and discuss the necessary conditions to obtain a realistic Cabibbo--Kobayashi--Maskawa (CKM) mixing matrix. In a specific model, we estimate the mixing angles and discuss the weak CP violating phase. We argue that the superstring standard--like models can produce a realistic CKM mixing matrix. We discuss the possible textures of quark mass matrices that may be obtained in these models.Comment: WIS--93/35/APR--PH, 29 page

NAHE-based string models with SU(4) X SU(2) X U(1) SO(10) Subgroup

The orbifold GUT doublet-triplet splitting mechanism was discussed in 1994 in the framework of the NAHE-based free fermionic models in which the SO(10) GUT symmetry is broken to SO(6) X SO(4), SU(3) X SU(2) X U(1)^2, or SU(3) X U(1) X SU(2)^2. In this paper we study NAHE-based free fermionic models in which the SO(10) symmetry is broken at the string level to SU(4) X SU(2) X U(1). In addition to the doublet-triplet splitting this case also has the advantage of inducing the doublet-doublet splitting already at the string level. We demonstrate, however, that NAHE-based models with SU(4) X SU(2) X U(1) SO(10) subgroup are not viable. We show that, similarly to the LRS models, and in contrast to the FSU5, PS and SLM models, the SU421 case gives rise to models without an anomalous U(1) symmetry, and discuss the different cases in terms of their N=4 origins.Comment: 25 pages. Standard Latex. Revised version to appear in NP

String Inspired Z' Model With Stable Proton and Light Neutrino Masses

Grand unification, and its incarnation in the form of heterotic-string unification, are the only extensions of the Standard Model that are rooted in the structure of the Standard Model itself. In this context, it was proposed that the exclusiveness of proton stability and suppression of neutrino masses necessitates the existence of an additional U(1)_Z' symmetry, which is of non-GUT origin and remains unbroken down to intermediate, or low, energies. Realistic string models frequently give rise to non-GUT U(1) symmetries, which arise from the flavor symmetries in the models. In this paper we demonstrate in a string-inspired toy model that such a stringy Z' can indeed guarantee proton longevity and viable phenomenology in the neutrino sector, as well as in the quark and charged lepton sectors.Comment: 20 pages. Standard LaTex. Version to appear in NP

The Z2×Z2Z_2\times Z_2 Orbifold and the SUSY Flavor Problem

The characteristic property of the $Z_2\times Z_2$ orbifold is its cyclic permutation symmetry. It is argued that this property may be instrumental in explaining simultaneously the fermion mass hierarchy and the squark mass degeneracy. Detailed studies in free fermionic models that preserve the cyclic permutation symmetry of anomalous U(1) charges of the three generations are discussed.Comment: 9 pages. Standard Late

Moduli Fixing in Realistic String Vacua

I illustrate the existence of quasi-realistic heterotic-string models in which all the untwisted Kaehler and complex structure moduli, as well as all of the twisted sectors moduli, are projected out by the generalized GSO projections. I discuss the conditions and characteristics of the models that produce this result. The existence of such models offers a novel perspective on the realization of extra dimensions in string theory. In this view, while the geometrical picture provides a useful mean to classify string vacua, in the phenomenologically viable cases there is no physical realization of extra dimensions. The models under consideration correspond to Z2 X Z2 orbifolds of six dimensional tori, plus additional identifications by internal shifts and twists. The special property of the Z2 X Z2 orbifold is that it may act on the compactified dimensions as real, rather than complex, dimensions. This property enables an asymmetric projection on all six internal coordinates, which enables the projection of all the untwisted Kaehler and complex structure moduli.Comment: 31 pages. Standard LaTeX. Additional section on twisted moduli. typos corrected. Revised version to appear in NP

On the origin of three generation free fermionic superstring models

The three generation superstring models in the free fermionic models have had remarkable success in describing the real--world. The most explored models use the NAHE set to obtain three generations and to separate the hidden and observable sectors. It is of course well known that the full NAHE set is not required in order to construct three generation free fermionic models. I argue that all the semi--realistic free fermionic models that have been constructed to date correspond to $Z_2\times Z_2$ orbifolds. Thus, the successes of the semi--realistic free fermionic models, if taken seriously, suggest that the true string vacuum is a $Z_2\times Z_2$ orbifold with nontrivial background fields and quantized Wilson lines.Comment: 12 pages, phyzzx.tex, tables.te

The Equivalence Postulate of Quantum Mechanics, Dark Energy and The Intrinsic Curvature of Elementary Particles

The equivalence postulate of quantum mechanics offers an axiomatic approach to quantum field theories and quantum gravity. The equivalence hypothesis can be viewed as adaptation of the classical Hamilton-Jacobi formalism to quantum mechanics. The construction reveals two key identities that underly the formalism in Euclidean or Minkowski spaces. The first is a cocycle condition, which is invariant under $D$--dimensional Mobius transformations with Euclidean or Minkowski metrics. The second is a quadratic identity which is a representation of the D-dimensional quantum Hamilton--Jacobi equation. In this approach, the solutions of the associated Schrodinger equation are used to solve the nonlinear quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation. A basic property of the construction is that the two solutions of the corresponding Schrodinger equation must be retained. The quantum potential, which arises in the formalism, can be interpreted as a curvature term. I propose that the quantum potential, which is always non-trivial and is an intrinsic energy term characterising a particle, can be interpreted as dark energy. Numerical estimates of its magnitude show that it is extremely suppressed. In the multi--particle case the quantum potential, as well as the mass, are cumulative.Comment: 19 pages. Standard LaTe

Phenomenological aspects of M-theory

The Standard Model data suggests the realization of grand unification structures in nature, in particular that of SO(10). A class of string vacua that preserve the SO(10) embedding, are the three generation free fermion heterotic-string models, that are related to Z2xZ2 orbifold compactification. Attempts to use the M-theory framework to explore further this class of models are discussed. Wilson line breaking of the SO(10) GUT symmetry results in super-heavy meta-stable states, which produce several exotic dark matter and UHECR candidates, with differing phenomenological characteristics. Attempts to develop the tools to study the properties of these states in forthcoming UHECR experiments are discussed. It is proposed that quantum mechanics arises from an equivalence postulate, that may lay the foundations for the rigorous formulation of quantum gravity.Comment: 25 pages. 6 figures. Standard Latex & iopart.cls. To appear in the proceedings of Beyond the Desert 02 - Accelerator and non Accelerator Approaches, Oulu, Finland, 2-7 June 200