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

Cosmological and phenomenological implications of Wilsonian matter in realistic superstring derived models

Superstring phenomenology aims at achieving two goals. The first is to reproduce the observed physics of the Standard Model. The second is to identify experimental signatures of superstring unification which, if observed, will provide further evidence for the validity of superstring theory. I discuss such potential signatures of superstring unification. I propose that proton lifetime constraints imply that the Standard Model gauge group must be obtained directly at the string level. In this case the unifying gauge group, for example $SO(10)$, is broken to the Standard Model gauge group by ``Wilson lines''. The symmetry breaking by ``Wilson line'' has important implications. It gives rise to exotic massless states which cannot fit into multiplets of the original unifying gauge group. This is an important feature because it results in conservation laws which forbid the interaction of the exotic ``Wilsonian'' states with the Standard Model states. The ``Wilsonian'' matter states then have important phenomenological implications. I discuss two such implications: exotic ``Wilsonian'' states as dark matter candidates and ``Wilsonian'' matter as the messenger sector in gauge mediated dynamical SUSY breaking scenarios.Comment: 22 pages. Standard Latex. 4 figures. epsf.te

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

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

Gauge Coupling Unification in Superstring Derived Standard--like Models

I discuss gauge coupling unification in a class of superstring standard--like models, which are derived in the free fermionic formulation. Recent calculations indicate that the superstring unification scale is at $O(10^{18}GeV)$ while the minimal supersymmetric standard model is consistent with LEP data if the unification scale is at $O(10^{16})GeV$. A generic feature of the superstring standard--like models is the appearance of extra color triplets $(D,{\bar D})$, and electroweak doublets $(\ell,{\bar\ell})$, in vector--like representations, beyond the minimal supersymmetric standard model. I show that gauge coupling unification at $O(10^{18}GeV)$ in the superstring standard--like models can be consistent with LEP data. I present an explicit standard--like model that can realize superstring gauge coupling unification.Comment: WIS--92/17/FEB--PH, 12 page