Internal supersymmetry and unification

  1. Yuval Ne'eman, and
  2. Shlomo Sternberg,§
  1. Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
  2. University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
  3. §Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

Abstract

We construct a family of finite-dimensional representations of the superalgebra sl(n/m) that depend on an integer parameter for m > 1 and on a complex parameter, b, for m = 1. We describe some models of elementary particles for sl(2/1), sl(3/1), and sl(5/1). This involves the choice of the parameter b and the choice of the operators I 3 (the third component of the weak left-handed isospin) and U (the weak hypercharge). These must commute, and are related to the electric charge by the usual formula Q = I 3 + ½U. In particular, taking I 3 to be in its standard form in su(2) ⊂ sl(5) ⊂ sl(5/1) and requiring that U commute with color su(3) ⊂ sl(5) ⊂ sl(5/1) leaves three free parameters, two for the choice of U and one for the choice of b. We show that there are just two possible choices of these parameters yielding exactly all 32 quark and lepton charges: the Georgi-Glashow Usu(5), corresponding to U(1,-⅔) and arbitrary b and U(0,⅓) ∉ su(5), with b = 2. We provide a general construction of representations of sl(n/1) consisting exactly of sequences of generations of quarks and leptons.

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