Strong coupling, unification, and recent data

A Review of the Exceptional Supersymmetric Standard Model

Local supersymmetry (SUSY) provides an attractive framework for the incorporation of gravity and unification of gauge interactions within Grand Unified Theories (GUTs). Its breakdown can lead to a variety of models with softly broken SUSY at low energies. In this review article, we focus on the SUSY extension of the Standard Model (SM) with an extra U ( 1 ) N gauge symmetry originating from a string-inspired E 6 GUTs. Only in this U ( 1 ) extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) can the right-handed neutrinos be superheavy, providing a mechanism for the baryon asymmetry generation. The particle content of this exceptional supersymmetric standard model (E 6 SSM) includes three 27 representations of the E 6 group, to ensure anomaly cancellation. In addition it also contains a pair of S U ( 2 ) W doublets as required for the unification of gauge couplings. Thus, E 6 SSM involves exotic matter beyond the MSSM. We consider symmetries that permit suppressing flavor changing processes and rapid proton decay, as well as gauge coupling unification, the gauge symmetry breaking and the spectrum of Higgs bosons in this model. The possible Large Hadron Collider (LHC) signatures caused by the presence of exotic states are also discussed.

Grand unification and enhanced quantum gravitational effects

In grand unified theories with large numbers of fields, renormalization effects significantly modify the scale at which quantum gravity becomes strong. This in turn can modify the boundary conditions for coupling constant unification, if higher dimensional operators induced by gravity are taken into consideration. We show that the generic size of, and the uncertainty in, these effects from gravity can be larger than the two-loop corrections typically considered in renormalization group analyses of unification. In some cases, gravitational effects of modest size can render unification impossible.

Supersymmetry facing experiment: much ado (already) about nothing (yet)

This report emphasizes the comparison between supersymmetric models and experiments. A minimal theoretical introduction is included as a guide to the interpretation of results. The existing constraints from low energy measurements, accelerator searches (LEP, Tevatron and HERA) and non-accelerator searches for neutralinos are presented. Prospects for upgrades of these facilities and for the LHC and linear collider are summarized. Most discussions are made in the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model inspired by supergravity (MSUGRA). But alternatives such as gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking (GMSB), anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking (AMSB), models with R-parity violation and even alternatives to supersymmetry are also briefly considered.