Probing Grand Unification Through Neutrino Oscillations, Leptogenesis, and Proton Decay

Evidence in favor of supersymmetric grand unification including that based on the observed family multiplet-structure, gauge coupling unification, neutrino oscillations, baryogenesis, and certain intriguing features of quark-lepton masses and mixings is noted. It is argued that attempts to understand (a) the tiny neutrino masses (especially Delta m^2 (nu_2 -nu_3)), (b) the baryon asymmetry of the universe (which seems to need leptogenesis), and (c) the observed features of fermion masses such as the ratio m_b/m_tau, the smallness of V_cb and the maximality of theta_{nu_mu-nu_tau}, seem to select out the route to higher unification based on an effective string-unified G(224) = SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R x SU(4)^c or SO(10)-symmetry, operative in 4D, as opposed to other alternatives. A predictive framework based on an effective SO(10) or G(224) symmetry possessing supersymmetry is presented that successfully describes the masses and mixings of all fermions including neutrinos. It also accounts for the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe by utilizing the process of leptogenesis, which is natural to this framework. It is argued that a conservative upper limit on the proton lifetime within this SO(10)/G(224)-framework, which is so far most successful, is given by (1/3-2) x 10^34 years. This in turn strongly suggests that an improvement in the current sensitivity by a factor of five to ten (compared to SuperK) ought to reveal proton decay. Implications of this prediction for the next-generation nucleon decay and neutrino-detector are noted.Comment: 40 page, 3 figures. Conference proceedings from Erice School (Sept 2002), Neutrino Conference (Stony Brook, 2002), PASCOS Conference (Mumbai, 2003) Version 2: New references and some clarifications adde

Sidereal anisotropy of cosmic rays

The data of the ionization chamber in Yakutsk for 1954 to 1984 are analyzed. A false sidereal variation caused by the second spherical harmonic in cosmic ray distribution was found and it has the amplitude 0.020 plus or minus 0.002%. The sidereal anisotropy with a very small amplitude (not more than 0.005%) was observed to exist

Optimization of the Ukrainian transit potential using in modern geopolitical world

На сьогодні Російська Федерація намагається змінити геополітичну карту Європи та, як наслідок, розклад сил у сучасному світі. Україна в даній ситуації може втратити частини власної території та транзитний потенціал, використання якого в останні роки утримувало економіку нашої держави від спаду, відповідно, важливо оцінити можливості використання транзитного потенціалу України у майбутньому та спрогнозувати його розвиток.Ourdays Russian Federation tries to change the geopolitical map of Europe and, as a result, curriculum of forces in the modern world. Ukraine in this situation can lose parts of own territory and transit potential. Using of it in the last years stopped the crisis of state economy, so it is important to estimate possibilities of the use of Ukrainian transit potential using in the future and to make a prognosis of his development.Робота виконана на кафедрі міжнародних економічних відносин СНУ ім. Лесі Українк