On Neutrino Masses and Family Replication

The old issue of why there are more than one family of quarks and leptons is reinvestigated with an eye towards the use of anomaly as a tool for constraining the number of families. It is found that, by assuming the existence of right-handed neutrinos (which would imply that neutrinos will have a mass) and a new chiral SU(2) gauge theory, strong constraints on the number of families can be obtained. In addition, a model, based on that extra SU(2), is constructed where it is natural to have one "very heavy" fourth neutrino and three almost degenerate light neutrinos whose masses are all of the Dirac type.Comment: RevTex, 12 pages with 1 figure, minor changes to the text and added acknowledgment

Effects of e−e+νee^- e^+ \nu_e Decays of Tau Neutrinos Near A Supernova

We revisit the constraints implied by SN 1987 A observations on the decay rate of a multi-MeV $\nu_\tau$ decaying into the visible channel $\nu_\tau \rightarrow e^+ e^- \nu_e$, if its lifetime is more than 10 {\it sec.}. We discuss its implication for the minimal left-right symmetric model with see-saw mechanism for neutrino masses. We also speculate on the possible formation of a ``giant Capacitor" in intergalactic space due to the decay of "neutronization" $\nu_\tau$'s and spin allignment possibility in the supernova.Comment: 29 Pages, Tex file, UMDHEP 94-4

A Model of Quark and Lepton Masses I: The Neutrino Sector

If neutrinos have masses, why are they so tiny? Are these masses of the Dirac type or of the Majorana type? We are already familiar with the mechanism of how to obtain a tiny Majorana neutrino mass by the famous see-saw mechanism. The question is: Can one build a model in which a tiny Dirac neutrino mass arises in a more or less "natural" way? What would be the phenomenological consequences of such a scenario, other than just merely reproducing the neutrino mass patterns for the oscillation data? In this article, a systematic and detailed analysis of a model is presented, with, as key components, the introduction of a family symmetry as well as a new SU(2) symmetry for the right-handed neutrinos. In particular, in addition to the calculations of light neutrino Dirac masses, interesting phenomenological implications of the model will be presented.Comment: 25 (single-spaced) pages, 11 figures, corrected some typos in Table I, added acknowledgement

Lepton Flavor Violation and the Tau Neutrino Mass

We point out that, in the left-right symmetric model of weak interaction, if $\nu_\tau$ mass is in the keV to MeV range, there is a strong correlation between rare decays such as $\tau \rightarrow 3 \mu, \tau \rightarrow 3 e$ and the $\nu_\tau$ mass. In particular, we point out that a large range of $\nu_\tau$ masses are forbidden by the cosmological constraints on $m_{\nu_\tau}$ in combination with the present upper limits on these processes.Comment: UMDHEP 94-30, 14 pages, TeX file, (some new references added

Approximate Flavor Symmetries in the Lepton Sector

Approximate flavor symmetries in the quark sector have been used as a handle on physics beyond the Standard Model. Due to the great interest in neutrino masses and mixings and the wealth of existing and proposed neutrino experiments it is important to extend this analysis to the leptonic sector. We show that in the see-saw mechanism, the neutrino masses and mixing angles do not depend on the details of the right-handed neutrino flavor symmetry breaking, and are related by a simple formula. We propose several ans\"{a}tze which relate different flavor symmetry breaking parameters and find that the MSW solution to the solar neutrino problem is always easily fit. Further, the $\nu_\mu - \nu_\tau$ oscillation is unlikely to solve the atmospheric neutrino problem and, if we fix the neutrino mass scale by the MSW solution, the neutrino masses are found to be too small to close the Universe.Comment: 12 pages (no figures), LBL-3459

Higgs Sector of the Minimal Left-Right Symmetric Model

We perform an exhaustive analysis of the most general Higgs sector of the minimal left-right symmetric model (MLRM). We find that the CP properties of the vacuum state are connected to the Higgs spectrum: if CP is broken spontaneously, the MLRM does not approach the Standard Model in the limit of a decoupling left-right symmetry breaking scale. Depending on the size of the CP phases scenarios with extra non-decoupling flavor-violating doublet Higgses or very light SU(2) triplet Higgses emerge, both of which are ruled out by phenomenology. For zero CP phases the non-standard Higgses decouple only if a very unnatural fine-tuning condition is fulfilled. We also discuss generalizations to a non-minimal Higgs sector.Comment: brief discussion of non-minimal Higgs sectors added, journal versio

Geometric CP Violation with Extra Dimensions

We discuss how CP symmetry can be broken geometrically through orbifold projections in hidden extra dimensions in the context of D-brane models for particle unifications. We present a few toy models to illustrate the idea and suggest ways to incorporate this technique in the context of realistic models.Comment: 6 pages, one figure; references updated and a new model adde

Global Topology and Local Violation of Discrete Symmetries

Cosmological models that are locally consistent with general relativity and the standard model in which an object transported around the universe undergoes P, C and CP transformations, are constructed. This leads to generalization of the gauge fields that describe electro-weak and strong interactions by enlarging the gauge groups to include anti-unitary transformations. Gedanken experiments show that if all interactions obey Einstein causality then P, C and CP cannot be violated in these models. But another model, which would violate charge superselection rule even for an isolated system, is allowed. It is suggested that the fundamental physical laws must have these discrete symmetries which are broken spontaneously, or they must be non causal.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, latex, Revtex. Charge conjugation which is physically implemented in a cosmology with the appropriate topology is described in more detail. Some minor errors are corrected. Shortened to meet the page limit of Physical Review Letters to which this paper was submitte