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A. N. Schellekens

Publications and source records attributed to A. N. Schellekens.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2018

Symmetry breaking by bi-fundamentals

We derive all possible symmetry breaking patterns for all possible Higgs fields that can occur in intersecting brane models: bi-fundamentals and rank-2 tensors. This is a field-theoretic problem that was already partially solved in 1973 by Ling-Fong Li. In that paper the solution was given for rank-2 tensors of orthogonal and unitary group, and U(N x U(M) and O(N) x O(M) bi-fundamentals. We extend this first of al to symplectic groups. When formulated correctly, this turns out to be straightforward generalization of the previous results from real and complex numbers to quaternions. The extension to mixed bi-fundamentals is more challenging and interesting. The scalar potential has up to six real parameters. Its minima or saddle points are described by block-diagonal matrices built out of K blocks of size p x q. Here p=q=1 for the solutions of Ling-Fong Li, and the number of possibilities for p x q is equal to the number of real parameters in the potential, minus 1. The maximum block size is p x q=2 x 4. Different blocks cannot be combined, and the true minimum occurs for one choice of basic block, and for either K=1 or K maximal, depending on the parameter values.

hep-th↗
arXiv2017

Big Numbers in String Theory

This paper contains some personal reflections on several computational contributions to what is now known as the "String Theory Landscape". It consists of two parts. The first part concerns the origin of big numbers, and especially the number $10^{1500}$ that appeared in work on the covariant lattice construction (with W. Lerche and D. Luest). This part contains some new results. I correct a huge but inconsequential error, discuss some more accurate estimates, and compare with the counting for free fermion constructions. In particular I prove that the latter only provide an exponentially small fraction of all even self-dual lattices for large lattice dimensions. The second part of the paper concerns dealing with big numbers, and contains some lessons learned from various vacuum scanning projects.

hep-th↗
arXiv2015

Constraints on extra dimensions from precision molecular spectroscopy

Accurate investigations of quantum level energies in molecular systems are shown to provide a test ground to constrain the size of compactified extra dimensions. This is made possible by the recent progress in precision metrology with ultrastable lasers on energy levels in neutral molecular hydrogen (H$_2$, HD and D$_2$) and the molecular hydrogen ions (H$_2^+$, HD$^+$ and D$_2^+$). Comparisons between experiment and quantum electrodynamics calculations for these molecular systems can be interpreted in terms of probing large extra dimensions, under which conditions gravity will become much stronger. Molecules are a probe of space-time geometry at typical distances where chemical bonds are effective, i.e. at length scales of an Å. Constraints on compactification radii for extra dimensions are derived within the Arkani-Hamed-Dimopoulos-Dvali framework, while constraints for curvature or brane separation are derived within the Randall-Sundrum framework. Based on the molecular spectroscopy of D$_2$ molecules and HD$^+$ ions, the compactification size for seven extra dimensions (in connection to M-theory defined in 11 dimensions) of equal size is shown to be limited to $R_7 < 0.6 μ$m. While limits on compactification sizes of extra dimensions based on other branches of physics are compared, the prospect of further tightening constraints from the molecular method is discussed.

physics.atom-ph↗
arXiv2015

Discrete symmetries from hidden sectors

We study the presence of abelian discrete symmetries in globally consistent orientifold compactifications based on rational conformal field theory. We extend previous work [1] by allowing the discrete symmetries to be a linear combination of U(1) gauge factors of the visible as well as the hidden sector. This more general ansatz significantly increases the probability of finding a discrete symmetry in the low energy effective action. Applied to globally consistent MSSM-like Gepner constructions we find multiple models that allow for matter parity or Baryon triality.

hep-th↗
arXiv2014

GUTs without guts

The structure of a Standard Model family is derived in a class of brane models with a U(M) x U(N) factor, from two mildly anthropic requirements: a massless photon and a universe that does not turn into a plasma of massless charged particles. If we choose M=3 and N=2, the only option is shown to be the Standard Model with an undetermined number of families. We do not assume the U(1) embedding, charge quantization, family repetition, nor the fermion representations; all of these features are derived, assuming a doublet Higgs. With a slightly stronger assumption even the Higgs representation is determined. We also consider a more general class, requiring an asymptotically free strong SU(M) (with M geq 3) interaction from the first factor and an electromagnetic U(1) embedded in both factors. We allow Higgs symmetry breaking of the U(N)x U(1) flavor group by at most one Higgs boson in any representation, combined with any allowed chiral symmetry breaking by SU(M). For M=3 there is a large number of solutions with an unbroken U(1). In all of these, quarks have third-integral charges and color singlets have integer charges in comparison to leptons. Hence Standard Model charge quantization holds for any N. Only for N=2 these models allow an SU(5) GUT extension, but this extension offers no advantages whatsoever for understanding the Standard Model; it only causes complications, such as the doublet-triplet splitting problem. Although all these models have a massless photon, all except the Standard Model are ruled out by the second anthropic requirement. In this class of brane models the Standard Model is realized as a GUT with its intestines removed, to keep only the good parts: a GUT without guts.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2014

Life at the Interface of Particle Physics and String Theory

If the results of the first LHC run are not betraying us, many decades of particle physics are culminating in a complete and consistent theory for all non-gravitational physics: the Standard Model. But despite this monumental achievement there is a clear sense of disappointment: many questions remain unanswered. Remarkably, most unanswered questions could just be environmental, and disturbingly (to some) the existence of life may depend on that environment. Meanwhile there has been increasing evidence that the seemingly ideal candidate for answering these questions, String Theory, gives an answer few people initially expected: a huge "landscape" of possibilities, that can be realized in a multiverse and populated by eternal inflation. At the interface of "bottom-up" and "top-down" physics, a discussion of anthropic arguments becomes unavoidable. We review developments in this area, focusing especially on the last decade.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2012

Discrete Gauge Symmetries in Discrete MSSM-like Orientifolds

Motivated by the necessity of discrete Z_N symmetries in the MSSM to insure baryon stability, we study the origin of discrete gauge symmetries from open string sector U(1)'s in orientifolds based on rational conformal field theory. By means of an explicit construction, we find an integral basis for the couplings of axions and U(1) factors for all simple current MIPFs and orientifolds of all 168 Gepner models, a total of 32990 distinct cases. We discuss how the presence of discrete symmetries surviving as a subgroup of broken U(1)'s can be derived using this basis. We apply this procedure to models with MSSM chiral spectrum, concretely to all known U(3)xU(2)xU(1)xU(1) and U(3)xSp(2)xU(1)xU(1) configurations with chiral bi-fundamentals, but no chiral tensors, as well as some SU(5) GUT models. We find examples of models with Z_2 (R-parity) and Z_3 symmetries that forbid certain B and/or L violating MSSM couplings. Their presence is however relatively rare, at the level of a few percent of all cases.

hep-th↗
arXiv2011

The Kreuzer bi-homomorphism

This is a brief review of simple current techniques and their application to string theory constructions, centered around Max Kreuzer's contribution to this field

hep-th↗
arXiv2011

Permutation orbifolds of heterotic Gepner models

We study orbifolds by permutations of two identical N=2 minimal models within the Gepner construction of four dimensional heterotic strings. This is done using the new N=2 supersymmetric permutation orbifold building blocks we have recently developed. We compare our results with the old method of modding out the full string partition function. The overlap between these two approaches is surprisingly small, but whenever a comparison can be made we find complete agreement. The use of permutation building blocks allows us to use the complete arsenal of simple current techniques that is available for standard Gepner models, vastly extending what could previously be done for permutation orbifolds. In particular, we consider (0,2) models, breaking of SO(10) to subgroups, weight-lifting for the minimal models and B-L lifting. Some previously observed phenomena, for example concerning family number quantization, extend to this new class as well, and in the lifted models three family models occur with abundance comparable to two or four.

hep-th↗
arXiv2011

SU(5) D-brane realizations, Yukawa couplings and proton stability

We discuss SU(5) Grand Unified Theories in the context of orientifold compactifications. Specifically, we investigate two and three D-brane stack realizations of the Georgi-Glashow and the flipped SU(5) model and analyze them with respect to their Yukawa couplings. As pointed out in arXiv:0909.0271 the most economical Georgi-Glashow realization based on two stacks generically suffers from a disastrous large proton decay rate. We show that allowing for an additional U(1) D-brane stack this as well as other phenomenological problems can be resolved. We exemplify with globally consistent Georgi-Glashow models based on RCFT that these D-brane quivers can be indeed embedded in a global setting. These globally consistent realizations admit rigid O(1) instantons inducing the perturbatively missing coupling 10105^H. Finally we show that flipped SU(5) D-brane realizations even with multiple U(1) D-brane stacks are plagued by severe phenomenological drawbacks which generically cannot be overcome.

hep-th↗
arXiv2010

Asymmetric Gepner Models III. B-L Lifting

In the same spirit as heterotic weight lifting, B-L lifting is a way of replacing the superfluous and ubiquitous U(1)_{B-L} with something else with the same modular properties, but different conformal weights and ground state dimensions. This method works in principle for all variants of (2,2) constructions, such as orbifolds, Calabi-Yau manifolds, free bosons and fermions and Gepner models, since it only modifies the universal SO(10) x E_8 part of the CFT. However, it can only yield chiral spectra if the ``internal" sector of the theory provides a simple current of order 5. Here we apply this new method to Gepner models. Including exceptional invariants, 86 of them have the required order 5 simple current, and 69 of these yield chiral spectra. Three family spectra occur abundantly.

hep-th↗
arXiv2010

Permutation Orbifold of N=2 Supersymmetric Minimal Models

In this paper we apply the previously derived formalism of permutation orbifold conformal field theories to N=2 supersymmetric minimal models. By interchanging extensions and permutations of the factors we find a very interesting structure relating various conformal field theories that seems not to be known in literature. Moreover, unexpected exceptional simple currents arise in the extended permuted models, coming from off-diagonal fields. In a few situations they admit fixed points that must be resolved. We determine the complete CFT data with all fixed point resolution matrices for all simple currents of all Z_2-permutations orbifolds of all minimal N=2 models with k\neq 2 mod 4.

hep-th↗
arXiv2010

Asymmetric Gepner Models (Revisited)

We reconsider a class of heterotic string theories studied in 1989, based on tensor products of N=2 minimal models with asymmetric simple current invariants. We extend this analysis from (2,2) and (1,2) spectra to (0,2) spectra with SO(10) broken to the Standard Model. In the latter case the spectrum must contain fractionally charged particles. We find that in nearly all cases at least some of them are massless. However, we identify a large subclass where the fractional charges are at worst half-integer, and often vector-like. The number of families is very often reduced in comparison to the 1989 results, but there are no new tensor combinations yielding three families. All tensor combinations turn out to fall into two classes: those where the number of families is always divisible by three, and those where it is never divisible by three. We find an empirical rule to determine the class, which appears to extend beyond minimal N=2 tensor products. We observe that distributions of physical quantities such as the number of families, singlets and mirrors have an interesting tendency towards smaller values as the gauge groups approaches the Standard Model. We compare our results with an analogous class of free fermionic models. This displays similar features, but with less resolution.Finally we present a complete scan of the three family models based on the triply-exceptional combination (1,16*,16*,16*) identified originally by Gepner. We find 1220 distinct three family spectra in this case, forming 610 mirror pairs. About half of them have the gauge group SU(3) x SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R x U(1)^5, the theoretical minimum, and many others are trinification models.

hep-th↗
arXiv2010

Asymmetric Gepner Models II. Heterotic Weight Lifting

A systematic study of "lifted" Gepner models is presented. Lifted Gepner models are obtained from standard Gepner models by replacing one of the N=2 building blocks and the $E_8$ factor by a modular isomorphic $N=0$ model on the bosonic side of the heterotic string. The main result is that after this change three family models occur abundantly, in sharp contrast to ordinary Gepner models. In particular, more than 250 new and unrelated moduli spaces of three family models are identified. We discuss the occurrence of fractionally charged particles in these spectra.

hep-th↗
arXiv2010

The Emperor's Last Clothes?

We are in the middle of a remarkable paradigm shift in particle physics, a shift of opinion that occurred so slowly that some even try to deny that they changed their minds at all. It concerns a very basic question: can we expect to derive the laws of particle physics from a fundamental theory? The Standard Model of particle physics as well as the 1984 string theory revolution provided ample food for thought about this. The reason this was ignored for so long can be traced back to an old fallacy: a misguided idea about our own importance.

physics.pop-ph↗
arXiv2009

Heterotic Weight Lifting

We describe a method for constructing genuinely asymmetric (2,0) heterotic strings out of N=2 minimal models in the fermionic sector, whereas the bosonic sector is only partly build out of N=2 minimal models. This is achieved by replacing one minimal model plus the superfluous E_8 factor by a non-supersymmetric CFT with identical modular properties. This CFT generically lifts the weights in the bosonic sector, giving rise to a spectrum with fewer massless states. We identify more than 30 such lifts, and we expect many more to exist. This yields more than 450 different combinations. Remarkably, despite the lifting of all Ramond states, it is still possible to get chiral spectra. Even more surprisingly, these chiral spectra include examples with a certain number of chiral families of SO(10), SU(5) or other subgroups, including just SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1). The number of families and mirror families is typically smaller than in standard Gepner models. Furthermore, in a large number of different cases, spectra with three chiral families can be obtained. Based on a first scan of about 10% of the lifted Gepner models we can construct, we have collected more than 10.000 distinct spectra with three families, including examples without mirror fermions. We present an example where the GUT group is completely broken to the standard model, but the resulting and inevitable fractionally charged particles are confined by an additional gauge group factor.

hep-th↗
arXiv2009

Complete Analysis of Extensions of $D(n)_1$ Permutation Orbifolds

We give the full set of $S$ matrices for extensions of $D(n)_1$ permutation orbifolds, extending our previous work to the yet unknown case of integer spin spinor currents. The main tool is triality of SO(8). We also provide fixed point resolution matrices for spinor currents of $D(n)_1$ permutation orbifolds with $n$ even and not multiple of four, where the spinor currents have half-integer spin.

hep-th↗