Fermion mass hierarchy as a consequence of the spontaneous breakdown of the four-flavor symmetry

Journal Article · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.32.1214· OSTI ID:5296231

Cveti, M

We study the fermion mass matrix in the case of four fermionic flavors u, d, c, and s. The original Lagrangian of the effective gauge theory respects the full four-flavor symmetry and fermions are massless. We analyze a vacuum expectation pattern of the elementary Higgs-field multiplet Phi/sub a/b ((a,b) = u,d,c,s). Nonzero vacuum expectation values of Phi spontaneously break the original flavor symmetry with fermionic masses being directly proportional to these vacuum expectation values. In the Higgs potential, hard terms in Phi respect the global symmetry SU(4)/sub L/ x SU(4)/sub R/ of four flavors while soft terms in Psi break this symmetry down to the effective anomaly-free gauge group SU(2)/sub L//sup e/+..mu.. x SU(2)/sub R//sup e/+..mu... These soft terms are due to radiative as well as nonperturbative effects. Such a symmetry structure of the Higgs potential can be motivated by the underlying preonic dynamics. The desired solution, i.e., the proper interfamily and intrafamily hierarchy as well as the desired Cabibbo mixing angle, can emerge as a consequence of a subtle interplay between the soft terms and certain hard terms of the Higgs potential.

• Research Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 5296231
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 32:5; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645301* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Invariance Principles & Symmetries-- General-- (-1987)
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
CABIBBO ANGLE
COMPOSITE MODELS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FLAVOR MODEL
FUNCTIONS
GAUGE INVARIANCE
HIGGS MODEL
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LAGRANGIAN FUNCTION
MASS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PARTICLE MODELS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
QUARK MODEL
QUARKS
SUPERSYMMETRY
SYMMETRY
SYMMETRY BREAKING
VACUUM STATES