S. M. Barr’s research while affiliated with University of Delaware and other places

As was shown in 1984 by Caneschi, Farrar, and Schwimmer, decomposing representations of the supergroup SU(M |N ), can give interesting anomaly-free sets of fermion representations of SU(M ) × SU(N ) × U(1). It is shown here that such groups can be used to construct realistic grand unified models with non-abelian gauged family symmetries. A particularly simple three-family example based on SU(5) × SU(2) × U(1) is studied. The forms of the mass matrices, including that of the right-handed neutrinos, are determined in terms of SU(2) Clebsch coefficients; and the model is able to fit the lepton sector and predict the Dirac CP-violating phase of the neutrinos. Models of this type would have a rich phenomenology if part of the family symmetry is broken near the electroweak scale.

As was shown in 1984 by Caneschi, Farrar, and Schwimmer, decomposing representations of the supergroup SU(M|N), can give interesting anomaly-free sets of fermion representations of SU(M) x SU(N) x U(1). It is shown here that such groups can be used to construct realistic grand unified models with non-abelian gauged family symmetries. A particularly simple three-family example based on SU(5) x SU(2) x U(1) is studied. The forms of the mass matrices, including that of the right-handed neutrinos, are determined in terms of SU(2) Clebsch coefficients. Models of this type would have a rich phenomenology if part of the family symmetry is broken near the electroweak scale.

Grand unified theories based on large groups (with rank ≥ 6) are a natural context for dark matter models. They contain Standard-Model-singlet fermions that could be dark matter candidates, and can contain new non-abelian interactions whose sphalerons convert baryons, leptons, and dark matter into each other, ``cogenerating" a dark matter asymmetry comparable to the baryon asymmetry. In this paper it is shown that the same non-abelian interactions can ``pre-annihilate" the symmetric component of heavy dark matter particles χ, which then decay late into light stable dark matter particles ζ that inherit their asymmetry. We derive cosmological constraints on the parameters of such models. The mass of χ must be < 3000 TeV and their decays must happen when 2 × 10−7 < Tdec/mχ < 10−4. It is shown that such decays can come from d=5 operators with coefficients of order 1/MGUT or 1/MPℓ. We present a simple realization of our model based on the group SU(7).

It is shown that an idea proposed in 1996 that relates in a qualitatively correct way the inter-family mass hierarchies of the up quarks, down quarks, charged leptons, and neutrinos, can be combined with a predictive scheme recently proposed for relating quark mixing and neutrino mixing. In the resulting model, the entire flavor structure of the quarks and leptons is expressible in terms of two "master matrices": a diagonal matrix that gives the inter-family mass ratios, and an off-diagonal matrix that controls all flavor mixing.

In a model proposed in 2012, all flavor mixing has a single source and is governed by a single "master matrix." This model was shown to give several predictions for quark and lepton masses and mixing angles and for mixing angles within SU(5) multiplets that are observable in proton decay. Here it is shown that the same master matrix controls the flavor-changing processes mediated by a singlet scalar that exists in the model, giving predictions for tau to mu + gamma, tau to e + gamma, and mu to e + gamma.

A unified model is constructed, based on flipped SU(5) in which the proton is absolutely stable. The model requires the existence of new leptons with masses of order the weak scale. The possibility that the unification scale could be extremely low is discussed.

Sphalerons of a new gauge interaction can convert a primordial asymmetry in B or L into a dark matter asymmetry. From the equilibrium conditions for the sphalerons of both the electroweak and the new interactions, one can compute the ratios of B, L, and X, where X is the dark matter number, thus determining the mass of the dark matter particle fairly precisely. Such a scenario can arise naturally in the context of unification with larger groups. An illustrative model embeddable in $SU(6) \times SU(2) \subset E_6$ is described as well as an equally simple model based on SU(7).

It was recently proposed that all flavor mixing has a single source, namely the mixing of the three quark and lepton families with "extra" vectorlike fermions in 5 + 5-bar multiplets of SU(5). This was shown to lead to several testable predictions including neutrino masses and CP-violating phases. Here it is shown that the mixing angles within grand unified fermion multiplets are also predicted. Proton decay branching ratios would thus give several independent tests of the model. Certain model parameters could be determined independently from the quark and lepton spectrum and from proton decay.

It is proposed that all flavor mixing is caused by the mixing of the three quark and lepton families with vectorlike fermions in 5 + 5 multiplets of SU (5). The entire 3 × 3 complex mass matrix of the neutrinos M ν is then found to have a simple expression in terms of two complex parameters and an overall scale. Thus, all the presently unknown neutrino parameters are predicted. The best fits are for θ atm ≲ 40° The leptonic Dirac CP phase is found to be somewhat greater than π.

It is proposed that all flavor mixing is caused by the mixing of the three quark and lepton families with vectorlike fermions in 5 + 5-bar multiplets of SU(5). This simple assumption implies that both V_{CKM} and U_{MNS} are generated by a single matrix. The entire 3-by-3 complex mass matrix of the neutrinos M_{nu} is then found to have a simple expression in terms of two complex parameters and an overall scale. Thus, all the presently unknown neutrino parameters are predicted. The best fits are for theta_{atm} less than or approximately 40 degrees. The leptonic Dirac CP phase is found to be somewhat greater than pi radians.