New Paradigm for Baryon and Lepton Number Violation

TL;DR

This paper reviews the implications of baryon and lepton number violation for physics beyond the Standard Model, focusing on experimental searches, theoretical models, and potential discoveries that could reshape our understanding of fundamental symmetries.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of theories and experimental prospects related to baryon and lepton number violation, emphasizing low-scale gauge theories and supersymmetric models.

Findings

Discussion of grand unified theories and neutrino mass mechanisms.

Analysis of local gauge symmetry breaking at low scales.

Implications for future experiments and fundamental symmetries.

Abstract

The possible discovery of proton decay, neutron-antineutron oscillation, neutrinoless beta decay in low energy experiments, and exotic signals related to the violation of the baryon and lepton numbers at collider experiments will change our understanding of the conservation of fundamental symmetries in nature. In this review we discuss the rare processes due to the existence of baryon and lepton number violating interactions. The simplest grand unified theories and the neutrino mass generation mechanisms are discussed. The theories where the baryon and lepton numbers are defined as local gauge symmetries spontaneously broken at the low scale are discussed in detail. The simplest supersymmetric gauge theory which predicts the existence of lepton number violating processes at the low scale is investigated. The main goal of this review is to discuss the main implications of baryon and lepton number violation in physics beyond the Standard Model.