Fast Proton Decay

TL;DR

This paper analyzes proton decay in flipped SU(5) models with TeV-scale particles, improving calculations of decay rates and predicting observable signals in upcoming experiments and at the LHC.

Contribution

It provides a refined calculation of proton decay rates including second loop effects and light threshold corrections in flipped SU(5) models with TeV-scale particles.

Findings

Proton decay is faster than previously estimated.

Most parameter space predicts decay within future experimental reach.

TeV-scale vector-like particles can be detected at the LHC.

Abstract

We consider proton decay in the testable flipped SU(5) X U(1)_X models with TeV-scale vector-like particles which can be realized in free fermionic string constructions and F-theory model building. We significantly improve upon the determination of light threshold effects from prior studies, and perform a fresh calculation of the second loop for the process p \to e^+ \pi^0 from the heavy gauge boson exchange. The cumulative result is comparatively fast proton decay, with a majority of the most plausible parameter space within reach of the future Hyper-Kamiokande and DUSEL experiments. Because the TeV-scale vector-like particles can be produced at the LHC, we predict a strong correlation between the most exciting particle physics experiments of the coming decade.