A D-Brane Alternative to the MSSM

The success of SU(5)-like gauge coupling unification boundary conditions $g_3^2=g_2^2=5/3 g_1^2$ has biased most attempts to embed the SM interactions into a unified structure. After discussing the limitations of the orthodox approach, we propose an alternative that appears to be quite naturally implied by recent developments based on D-brane physics. In this new alternative: 1) The gauge group, above a scale of order 1 TeV, is the minimal left-right symmetric extension $SU(3)\times SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_R\times U(1)_{B-L}$ of the SM; 2) Quarks, leptons and Higgs fields come in three generations; 3) Couplings unify at an intermediate string scale $M_s= 9\times 10^{11}$ GeV with boundary conditions $g_3^2=g_L^2=g_R^2=32/3 g_{B-L}^2$. This corresponds to the natural embedding of gauge interactions into D-branes and is different from the standard SO(10) embedding which corresponds to $k_{B-L}=8/3$. Unification only works in the case of three generations; 4) Proton stability is automatic due to the presence of $Z_2$ discrete R-parity and lepton parities. A specific Type IIB string orientifold model with the above characteristics is constructed. The existence of three generations is directly related to the existence of three complex extra dimensions. In this model the string scale can be identified with the intermediate scale and SUSY is broken also at that scale due to the presence of anti-branes in the vacuum. We discuss a number of phenomenological issues in this model including Yukawa couplings and a built-in axion solution to the strong-CP problem. The present framework could be tested by future accelerators by finding the left-right symmetric extension of the SM at a scale of order 1 TeV.Comment: 50 pages, 7 figures. References adde

Standard-like Models with Broken Supersymmetry from Type I String Vacua

We construct D=4 Type I vacua with massless content remarkably close to that of the standard model of particle physics. They are tachyon-free non-supersymmetric models which are obtained starting with a standard D=4, N=1 compact Type IIB orientifold and adding the same number of Dp-branes and anti-Dp-branes distributed at different points of the underlying orbifold. Supersymmetry-breaking is felt by the observable world either directly, by gravity mediation or gauge mediation, depending on the brane configuration. We construct several simple three generation examples with the gauge group of the standard model or its left-right symmetric extensions. The models contain a number of U(1) gauge groups whose anomalies are cancelled by a generalized Green-Schwarz mechanism. These U(1)'s are broken but may survive as global symmetries providing for a flavour structure to the models. The value of the string scale may be lowered down to the intermediate scale (as required in the gravity mediation case) or down to 1-100 TeV for the non-SUSY models. Thus the present models are the first semirealistic string vacua realizing the possibility of a low string scale. The unbalanced force between the pairs of Dp- and anti-Dp-branes provides for an effect which tends to compactify some of the extra dimensions but no others. This could provide a new mechanism for radius stabilization.Comment: 58 pages, latex (typos corrected and references added

QCD condensates and holographic Wilson loops for asymptotically AdS spaces

The minimization of the Nambu-Goto action for a surface whose contour defines a circular Wilson loop of radius a placed at a finite value of the coordinate orthogonal to the boundary is considered. This is done for asymptotically AdS spaces. The condensates of even dimension $n=2$ through $10$ are calculated in terms of the coefficient of $a^{n}$ in the expansion of the on-shell subtracted Nambu-Goto action for small $a$ The subtraction employed is such that it presents no conflict with conformal invariance in the AdS case and need not introduce an additional infrared scale for the case of confining geometries. It is shown that the UV value of the condensates is universal in the sense that they only depends on the first coefficients of the difference with the AdS case.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figur

Noncommutative associative superproduct for general supersymplectic forms

We define a noncommutative and nonanticommutative associative product for general supersymplectic forms, allowing the explicit treatment of non(anti)commutative field theories from general nonconstant string backgrounds like a graviphoton field. We propose a generalization of deformation quantization a la Fedosov to superspace, which considers noncommutativity in the tangent bundle instead of base space, by defining the Weyl super product of elements of Weyl super algebra bundles. Super Poincare symmetry is not broken and chirality seems not to be compromised in our formulation. We show that, for a particular case, the projection of the Weyl super product to the base space gives rise the Moyal product for non(anti)commutative theories.Comment: 22 pages, revtex4. References added. Comments added. Includes additional theorem proof