CDF II W-mass anomaly and SO(10) GUT

TL;DR

This paper explores how the W-mass anomaly could be explained within SO(10) GUT frameworks, analyzing both SUSY and non-SUSY models, their unification constraints, and proton decay predictions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of SO(10) GUT models in light of the W-mass anomaly, including unification conditions and proton decay implications.

Findings

Non-SUSY models require a light triplet Higgs for unification but predict rapid proton decay.

Including additional scalars and intermediate scales can reconcile models with experimental bounds.

Single-stage unification is achievable in minimal SUSY models without triplet Higgs.

Abstract

The W-mass anomaly has yet to be established, but a huge proliferation of articles on the subject established the rich potential of such event. We investigate the SO(10) GUT constraints from the recently reported W-mass anomaly. We consider both Supersymmetric (SUSY) and non-supersymmetric (non-SUSY) grand unified theories by studying renormalization group equations (RGEs) for gauge coupling unification and their predictions on proton decay. In the non-SUSY models, single-stage unification is possible if one include a light (around TeV) real triplet Higgs scalar. However, these models predict speedy proton decay, inconsistent with the present experimental bound on the proton decay. This situation may be improved by including newer scalars and new intermediate-mass scales, which are present in the $SO(10)$ GUTs. The standard model is extended to a left-right symmetric model (LR), and the scale of LR breaking naturally introduces the intermediate scale in the model. A single-stage unification is possible even without including any triplet Higgs scalar in a minimal supersymmetric standard model.