The pseudo-Goldstone boson mechanism for the ``doublet-triplet splitting''
problem of the grand unified theory can be naturally implemented in the
scenario with extra dimensions and branes. The two SU(6) global symmetries of
the Higgs sector are located on two separate branes while the SU(6) gauge
symmetry is in the bulk. After including several vector-like fields in the
bulk, and allowing the most general interactions with their natural strength
(including the higher dimensional ones which may be generated by gravity) which
are consistent with the geometry, a realistic pattern of the Standard Model
fermion masses and mixings can be naturally obtained without any flavor
symmetry. Neutrino masses and mixings required for the solar and atmospheric
neutrino problems can also be accommodated. The geometry of extra dimensions
and branes provides another way to realize the absence of certain interactions
(as required in the pseudo-Goldstone boson mechanism) or the smallness of some
couplings (e.g., the Yukawa couplings between the fermions and the Higgs
bosons), in addition to the usual symmetry arguments.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX, references and some clarifying remarks
added, to be published in Phys. Rev.
