Truly Minimal Left-Right Model of Quark and Lepton Masses

We propose a left-right model of quarks and leptons based on the gauge group $SU(3)_C \times SU(2)_L \times SU(2)_R \times U(1)_{B-L}$, where the scalar sector consists of only two doublets: (1,2,1,1) and (1,1,2,1). As a result, any fermion mass, whether it be Majorana or Dirac, must come from dimension-five operators. This allows us to have a common view of quark and lepton masses, including the smallness of Majorana neutrino masses as the consequence of a double seesaw mechanism.Comment: Version to appear in PRL, title changed by journal to "Left-right model of quark and lepton masses without a scalar bidoublet

Structure and stability of human telomeric sequence

Telomeric DNA of a variety of vertebrates including humans contains the tandem repeat d(TTAGGG)n. We have investigated the structural properties of the human telomeric repeat oligonucleotide models d(T2AG3)4, d(G3T2A)3G3, and d(G3T2AG3) using CD, gel electrophoresis, and chemical probing techniques. The sequences d(G3T2A)3G3 and d(T2AG3)4 assume an antiparallel G quartet structure by intramolecular folding, while the sequence d(G3T2AG3) also adopts an antiparallel G quartet structure but by dimerization of hairpins. In all the above cases, adenines are in the loop. The TTA loops are oriented at the same end of the G tetrad stem in the case of hairpin dimer. Further, the oligonucleotide d(G3T2AG3) forms a higher order structure by the association of two hairpin dimers via stacking of G tetrad planes. Here we show that N-7 of adenine in the hairpin dimer is Hoogsteen hydrogen-bonded. The partial reactivity of loop adenines with DEPC in d(T2AG3)4 suggests that the intramolecular G quartet structure is highly polymorphic and structures with different loop orientations and topologies are formed in solution. Intra- and interloop hydrogen bonding schemes for the TTA loops are proposed to account for the observed diethyl pyrocarbonate reactivities of adenines. Sodium-induced G quartet structures differ from their potassium-induced counterparts not only in stability but also in loop conformation and interactions. Thus, the overall structure and stability of telomeric sequences are modulated by the cation present, loop sequence, and the number of G tracts, which might be important for the telomere function

Recent direct measurement of the Top quark mass and quasi-infrared fixed point

We note that the recent direct measurement of the top quark mass at $173.3 \pm 5.6 (stat) \pm 6.2 (syst)$ by D0 collaboration severely constrains the theoretically attractive infra-red fixed point scenario of the top quark Yukawa coupling in supersymmetric GUTs. For one-step unified models the above mentioned measurement bounds the arbitrary but experimentally determinable parameter $\tan \beta$ to the range $1.3 \le \tan \beta \le 2.1$. Further crunch on the top quark mass may determine $\tan \beta$ even more accurately within the fixed point scenario. On the other hand an experimental value of $\tan \beta > 2.1$ will rule out the fixed point scenario bounding $h^2_t(M_X)/4 \pi$ to 0.022 from above.Comment: 7 pages, Latex with epsf style, 1 figure, captions.st

Proton Decay and Related Processes in Unified Models with Gauged Baryon Number:

In unification models based on SU(15) or SU(16), baryon number is part of the gauge symmetry, broken spontaneously. In such models, we discuss various scenarios of important baryon number violating processes like proton decay and neutron-antineutron oscillation. Our analysis depends on the effective operator method, and covers many variations of symmetry breaking, including different intermediate groups and different Higgs boson content. We discuss processes mediated by gauge bosons and Higgs bosons parallely. We show how accidental global or discrete symmetries present in the full gauge invariant Lagrangian restrict baryon number violating processes in these models. In all cases, we find that baryon number violating interactions are sufficiently suppressed to allow grand unification at energies much lower than the usual $10^{16}$ GeV.Comment: (32 pages LATEX) [DOE-ER\,40757-022, CPP-93-22] {Small changes made and two references added. This version will appear in Phys. Rev. D

Asymmetric neutrino Yukawa matrices and neutrino mixing

We study leptonic CKM mixing matrices when the neutrino Yukawa matrices are antisymmetric which gives rise to mass patterns suitable to explain solar, atmospheric and LSND neutrino oscillation experiments. Taking diagonal leptonic matrices which can give rise to hierarchical lepton masses, we compute the leptonic CKM matrix.Comment: version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Constrained analytical interrelations in neutrino mixing

Hermitian squared mass matrices of charged leptons and light neutrinos in the flavor basis are studied under general additive lowest order perturbations away from the tribimaximal (TBM) limit in which a weak basis with mass diagonal charged leptons is chosen. Simple analytical expressions are found for the three measurable TBM-deviants in terms of perturbation parameters appearing in the neutrino and charged lepton eigenstates in the flavor basis. Taking unnatural cancellations to be absent and charged lepton perturbation parameters to be small, interrelations are derived among masses, mixing angles and the amount of CP-violation.Comment: To be published in the Springer Proceedings in the Physics Series under the heading of the XXI DAE-BRNS Symposium (Guwahati, India