2003/10/13 by John Perkins, Perkins, John, Ben Dundee +11
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Algorithms and Data Compression #DNA and Biological Computing #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph) #High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th) #hep-ph #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.hep-ph/0310155
standard latex, 13 pages, based on talk presented at String Phenomenology '03, additonal references added
openalex publication_date 2003/10/13 · arxiv created 2003/11/04 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The lower limit to string coupling unification in weakly coupled heterotic strings was shown by Kaplunovsky to be around LambdaH ~ 5 x 1017 GeV. In contrast, under the scenario of an intermediate scale desert, the SU(3)C x SU(2)L x U(1)Y ([321]) Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) unification scale is LambdaU ~ 2.5 x 1016 GeV. Optical unification was proposed by Giedt as a robust mechanism for relating these two scales. In this mechanism, intermediate scale MSSM-charged exotic particles effect running couplings like a diverging lens, always producing a ``virtual'' image of the string unification point between the string scale and the exotic particle mass scale. A heterotic string model that offers the potential to realize optical unification was recently constructed. This paper reports the initial results of an investigation into the possibility of optical unification realization in this model. This paper is a product of the NSF REU program at Baylor University and is based on a talk presented at the Second International Conference on String Phenomenology, Durham, England, 29 July - 4 August, 2003.